Who Keeps On Choosin’ Texas?

Singer-songwriter Ella Langley’s country tune “Choosin’ Texas” entered the Billboard Hot 100 chart last November, and it hasn’t left. It’s just tied the record for the most nonconsecutive weeks at No. 1: 22 . (Sorry, Mariah Carey.)

Wesley Morris is a student of the chart and he’s noticed that in recent years certain songs seem to hang around for a long, long time. These chart toppers are starting to feel more like chart cloggers. Why is this happening?

His curiosity cannot be contained for another week. So he’s going to Chris Molanphy, a pop music critic and the host of Slate’s “Hit Parade” podcast, for answers. Together, they recall chart trends, think about Billboard’s tracking metrics, and consider what kind of choice “Choosin’ Texas” is.