Country Songs Are Dominating the Hot 100. We Shouldn’t Be Surprised

There’s no denying it: This has been the summer of country music. Ella Langley’s “Choosin’ Texas” has become the song of the summer and broken numerous records, including beating Whitney Houston and Harry Styles on the charts. And now, it’s the genre itself that is dominating the Billboard Hot 100. For the first time in history, country songs claim all Top Five spots, thanks to singles from Langley, Morgan Wallen, Taylor Swift, Stella Lefty, and a Wallen-Langley duet. It’s a never-before-seen feat that even the Nineties heyday of Garth Brooks and Shania Twain couldn’t accomplish.

The songs in question? “Choosin’ Texas,” of course, still cruising at 16 weeks at Number One, followed by Wallen’s “Been By Now,” Swift’s “I Knew It, I Knew You,” the Wallen-Langley collab “I Can’t Love You Anymore,” and Lefty’s “Boston.” How innately “country” some of those songs are is up for debate, but it’s clear that America loves a hit with at least a hint of twang.

Though this statistic might seem like a huge milestone for the genre — and it is — things have been trending this way for a while. In the summer of 2023, Wallen and Luke Combs landed the first Number One and Number Two country songs on the Hot 100 in four decades. Wallen’s “Last Night” and Combs’ “Fast Car” took the top slots only previously held by Eddie Rabbit’s “I Love a Rainy Night” and Dolly Parton’s “9 to 5” in March of 1981 (the genre also dominated streaming in 2023). In 2024, Shaboozey and “Bar Song” went on to log 19 weeks atop the chart, putting it tied for the longest non-holiday song record with Lil Nas X’s “Old Town Road” (only Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas” has reigned longer). And last spring, Wallen marked a record-breaking 37 entries in the Hot 100, when his album I’m the Problem was released. The former record holder? Himself.
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But, really, for a nation that arguably holds two country artists — Willie Nelson and Parton — as two of its most beloved and universally adored icons, should we be all that surprised? Not to mention our biggest pop star, Swift, who rose to fame as a country artist.

Meanwhile, should Langley continue to hold on to her Number One position on the Hot 100 next week, she will officially beat her duet partner Wallen for the title of 17 weeks at the top.