#1 “Choosing Texas” by Ella Langley
This week, the Billboard Hot 100 saw significant movements as “Choosing Texas” by Ella Langley surged from lower chart positions to claim the No. 1 spot. After rising slowly in recent weeks, the song benefited from huge streaming gains, growing radio play, and more sales, which pushed it to the top.
The rise of “Choosing Texas” was due to the continued breakout of country-pop and strong viral traction on TikTok. As clips of the song circulated online, more listeners connected with its emotional theme, driving up weekly stream counts and strengthening its overall chart performance.
What does it sound like?
“Choosing Texas” opens with soft guitar and a slow melody that sets a quiet tone. Langley’s heartfelt delivery and metaphors about love and heartbreak give the song an intimate feel. That emotional feel of the song, with a simple soothing beat, is what resonates most with listeners and helped take it to No. 1. A high school senior, Rachel Castro emphasized, “My favorite song has to be ‘Choosing Texas’ by Ella Langley; that country beat is such a vibe.” Rachel’s thoughts show that Ella Langley’s hit is a staple for American teens.
#2 “Man I Need” by Olivia Dean
The man I need by Olivia Dean stayed at No. 2 on the Billboard’s Hot 100. While still keeping its traction, it was beaten by Ella Langley’s hit. Olivia Dean is a new artist and recently won an award for “Best New Artist” at this year’s Grammys. This win may be the explanation for her quick rise to fame. Despite being a new artist, she has many songs, such as “So Easy” and many more that are insanely popular and are still rising to this day!
What does it sound like?
Man I Need starts out with Olivia Dean’s whispers saying “talk to me, talk to me,” and then transforms into an upbeat pop beat that is very bright. It then leads into a pre-chorus that is very happy and positive, layered with her vocals and raspy tone. The song has piano background music, and it is written in a major key but sounds more minor and deep in the pre-chorus. This upbeat feel may be why the song gained so much popularity. This uplifting tone makes the song feel comforting. Jessica Mulangu, a 12th grader, shared, “My favorite song on the list is ‘Man I Need’ by Olivia Dean. This song is my favorite because it’s really trendy, and it’s a go-to beat.” Jessica’s thoughts show how “Man I Need” gained its traction from connecting with teens.
#3 “Ordinary” by Alex Warren
This week, Ordinary by Alex Warren moved up the Billboard 100. After being outside the top positions recently, Ordinary climbed into spot number 3. This song has shown increased momentum, which is likely from his famous performances. Alex Warren performed “Ordinary” at the Grammys, and his performance gained publicity due to his mechanical malfunction during his performance, which led to more streams overall.
What does it sound like?
Ordinary starts out soft with faint music repetitively in the background. It has an uplifting gospel chorus and vocals. The background music is very instrumental. It sounds like a gospel song and has many lyrics that support Alex Warren wanting the song to have a more gospel-like tone. The uplifting tone is very motivating and contributes to the success of the song.
#4 “I Just Might” Bruno Mars
I Just Might by Bruno Mars is a throwback-inspired hit and climbed up the Billboard 100 after a few weeks in the top 10, which reveals it is still gaining traction. The popularity of the song is heavily due to the popularity of Bruno Mars in general, as he has been a staple in the music industry for more than a decade.
What does it sound like?
The song starts out with studio shouting and then leads into bright and happy background music and verses. Bruno is iconic for having bright and happy songs and may have done this to evoke nostalgia in his fans with his signature sound. He sings about a girl throughout the songs, with the chorus leading into a “Doo-Doo-Doo” in his chorus, saying phrases like “I might make her my baby.” These lyrics and upbeat sound are addicting and may be the reason why his song gained a great amount of traction. A 12th grade student, Darrah Price, stated, “My favorite song is ‘I Just Might’ by Bruno Mars because I love the cool beat it has, and it reminds me of happy days, and it makes me want to dance.” Darrah’s take on the song reveals the song’s upbeat tone and its grasp on the youth.
#5 “Golden” by Hunter, Ejae, Audrey Nuna, and Rei Ami
Golden from K-Pop-Demon Hunter’s success has been generational and has stayed in the top 5 for many weeks but has been progressively slipping down. This does not change that Golden has broken many records from its rapid success. The success of “Golden” is almost entirely because of it being in the popular show “K-Pop Demon Hunters,” but “Golden” is still a well-crafted song that was never meant to go mainstream but did just because of the popularity of the show it is in.
What does it sound like?
“Golden” starts out with a booming beat stating self-criticizing lyrics like “I was a ghost, I was alone” and “I was afraid,” and then it transitions quickly into the iconic chorus with intense vocals saying, “I’m done hiding; now I’m flying like I’m born to be.” This progression from first being self-criticizing to the singer that she belongs and is “born to be golden” has a very inspiring and touching message that many listeners may relate to. A 12th-grade student, Vivienne Cao, shared her thoughts: “My favorite song is ‘Golden’ by K-pop demon hunters because the message behind the sound is touching, and it resonates with my soul. It makes me feel like I can do anything.” Her insight further shows the song’s motivating tone.
The Takeaway
Many of the artists on this list did not intend or expect their songs to gain the global recognition that they did; this shows the unpredictability of internet traction. Many of the songs have more mainstream-like beats, but others try to create something new. The song’s grasp on the youth, internet attention, and the singer’s individual success pushes the success of each song dramatically and is a key reason for why the songs have an impressive amount of streams.
