Choosin' Texas

Album: yet to be titled (2025)
Charted: 11
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • "Choosin' Texas" is Ella Langley's story of a woman watching her man get swept away by a Texas girl, and realizing she never really stood a chance against the gravitational pull of the Lone Star State.
  • She missed the warning signs, little red flags like how he always perked up when "Amarillo By Morning" came on. But this isn't "Gunpowder & Lead" territory; Langley takes the Dolly Parton route, channeling "Jolene" levels of grace and heartache.
  • Langley co-wrote the song with her frequent songwriting collaborator Joybeth Taylor, along with Miranda Lambert and Luke Dick during a writing retreat in October 2024. It started with Lambert telling her co-writers a wild story about her younger days when she got pulled over with a kangaroo in the backseat and a dog in the front. When Lambert added how she told the cop she had Texas plates, Langley quipped, "She's from Texas, I can tell."

    The room fell silent for half a beat before everyone went: That's the song. Thirty minutes later, "Choosin' Texas" was born.
  • Lambert and Ben West co-produced the track alongside Langley, with Lambert insisting she wanted to "let Ella's artistry shine through every step of the process."
  • Langley first teased "Choosin' Texas" in February 2025 at a show in Nacogdoches, and then officially unveiled it at Live At The Station in College Station and Choctaw Music Fest in Oklahoma that October.
  • Country blogs and entertainment outlets described the song's theme of "losing a cowboy to a Texas girl" as potentially autobiographical, mirroring Langley's rumored triangle with Riley Green and Megan Moroney, the same rumor mill that's been grinding ever since Langley and Green recorded "You Look Like You Love Me." It didn't help that the single artwork shows a man and a blonde woman driving away in a convertible - it looks suspiciously like a real-life photo of Green and Moroney cruising through Alabama.

    But according to Langley and her co-writers, "Choosin' Texas" is fictional and inspired by Lambert's Texas roots, not a reflection of Riley Green or Megan Moroney.
  • Langley sang "Choosin' Texas" at the 2025 CMA Awards, where her song "You Look Like You Love Me" earned her three trips to the podium, winning for Single Of The Year, Song Of The Year and Music Video Of The Year.
  • "Choosin' Texas" climbed to #1 on the Country chart dated December 6, 2025, in its sixth week on the survey. It was Ella Langley's first visit to the Hot Country Songs summit.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Marc Campbell - "88 Lines About 44 Women"

Marc Campbell - "88 Lines About 44 Women"They're Playing My Song

The Nails lead singer Marc Campbell talks about those 44 women he sings about over a stock Casio keyboard track. He's married to one of them now - you might be surprised which.

Mick Jones of Foreigner

Mick Jones of ForeignerSongwriter Interviews

Foreigner's songwriter/guitarist tells the stories behind the songs "Juke Box Hero," "I Want To Know What Love Is," and many more.

He Hit Me (And It Felt Like A Kiss): A History Of Abuse Pop

He Hit Me (And It Felt Like A Kiss): A History Of Abuse PopSong Writing

Songs that seem to glorify violence against women are often misinterpreted - but not always.

Tony Iommi of Black Sabbath, Heaven And Hell

Tony Iommi of Black Sabbath, Heaven And HellSongwriter Interviews

Guitarist Tony Iommi on the "Iron Man" riff, the definitive Black Sabbath song, and how Ozzy and Dio compared as songwriters.

Daryl Hall

Daryl HallSongwriter Interviews

Daryl Hall's TV show is a hit, and he's been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame - only one of these developments excites him.

Angelo Moore of Fishbone

Angelo Moore of FishboneSongwriter Interviews

Fishbone has always enjoyed much more acclaim than popularity - Angelo might know why.