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Song of the Day #6,511: ‘Choosin’ Texas’ – Ella Langley

I haven’t done a new installment of ‘What the Kids Are Listening To’ since last November (not counting the year-end roundup) so I figured it was time to check back in with the latest chart-toppers.

I’m excited by the song at #1 on the latest edition of the Hot 100: Ella Langley’s ‘Choosin’ Texas.’ This surprise hit was co-written by my beloved Miranda Lambert, and I’m always happy to see her get her flowers, even indirectly.

Most of the credit is due to Langley, of course, who co-wrote the track and performs it with a mix of melancholy and grit. But indulge me as I celebrate both of these women.

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Song of the Day #6,510: ‘Good Lovin” – The Young Rascals

The Mamas and the Papas held the top spot of the Billboard Hot 100 the week of May 3, 1966, with ‘Monday, Monday,’ a song I featured on the blog during a post about my favorite movies of the 2010s (it appeared in the great documentary Tower).

At #2 that week, dropping from its chart-topping position a week prior, was The Young Rascals’ ‘Good Lovin’.’ This was the second single from the band’s eponymous debut album and their first of three #1 hits (1967’s ‘Groovin” and 1968’s ‘People Got to Be Free’ would follow).

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Song of the Day #6,509: ‘Blue Suede Shoes’ – Carl Perkins

Throwing back to the week of May 2, 1956, we find Elvis Presley holding on to the top spot with ‘Heartbreak Hotel‘ with Perry Como’s ‘Hot Diggity (Dog Ziggity Boom)‘ and Les Baxter’s ‘The Poor People of Paris‘ in the second and third spots.

At #4 was a song many associate with Presley but one that was written and recorded by Carl Perkins first: ‘Blue Suede Shoes.’ Presley’s version was recorded around the same time as Perkins’ but wasn’t released as a single until later in 1956 out of respect for the original (at the time, it was very common for multiple versions of a song to be released simultaneously).

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Song of the Day #6,508: ‘Elevation’ – Television

Concluding my look at the albums of 1977…

Another seminal debut album from 1977, Television’s Marquee Moon got me thinking about how the artists from this era were really bouncing off of each other in interesting ways.

Earlier this week, I heard so much Elvis Costello in The Jam’s first album, even though both artists debuted the same year. And in this album, I hear so much Talking Heads, whose debut album also came out in ’77.

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Song of the Day #6,507: ‘Blue Bayou’ – Linda Ronstadt

Continuing my look at the albums of 1977…

I’ve been considering a Linda Ronstadt deep dive for awhile now, and I’m finally ready to commit. Something about her eighth studio album, Simple Dreams, charmed me enough to send me back through the rest of her catalog. Stay tuned for the details in future weeks.

In the meantime, I’ll sing the praises of this album, the best-seller of Ronstadt’s career and, at the time, the second best-selling album by any woman (after Carole King’s Tapestry). It even knocked Rumours from the #1 spot after 29 straight weeks.

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