As Ella Langley‘s “Choosin’ Texas” continues its multi-chart run, now reaching well beyond country, it highlights something the genre has long made clear: Texas isn’t just a backdrop; it’s part of America’s musical DNA. Few places are referenced as consistently, or as specifically, as the Lone Star State, with songs calling out its cities, highways and larger-than-life identity. At a certain point, it’s less trend than pattern. Texas keeps finding its way into the story, no matter the sound.
That influence extends beyond the songs themselves. A quarter of Billboard’s top 20 Greatest of All Time Top Country Artists trace back to Texas, including the list’s leader, George Strait. From Waylon Jennings’ “Luckenbach, Texas (Back to the Basics of Love)” to Strait’s own “All My Ex’s Live in Texas,” the theme has held from country music’s earliest eras to the cross-genre landscape of today.
Below, Billboard ranks the 50 biggest Texas-flavored songs — those that namecheck the state or one of its locales — since Hot Country Songs became the genre’s all-encompassing chart in 1958. The countdown, which includes 18 No. 1s (and a leading three by Poteet-born Strait), spans hits from the late ‘50s to four songs, all by women, this decade, making for a trail-worn reminder that some things really do run bigger in Texas.
The Biggest Billboard Texas Hits chart is based on performance on the weekly Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, through the March 28, 2026, ranking. Songs are ranked based on an inverse point system, with weeks at No. 1 earning the greatest value and weeks at lower ranks earning proportionately less. Due to changes in chart methodology over the years, eras are weighted to account for different chart turnover rates over various periods.
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“Raisin Cane in Texas,” Gene Watson
Hot Country Songs peak position: No. 15
Hot Country Songs peak date: Sept. 27, 1980 -
“Here I Am in Dallas,” Faron Young
Hot Country Songs peak position: No. 16
Hot Country Songs peak date: Sept. 20, 1975 -
“Red and Rio Grande,” Doug Supernaw
Hot Country Songs peak position: No. 23
Hot Country Songs peak date: April 23, 1994 -
“San Antonio Rose,” Floyd Cramer
Hot Country Songs peak position: No. 8
Hot Country Songs peak date: July 31, 1961 -
“Fort Worth, Dallas or Houston,” George Hamilton IV
Hot Country Songs peak position: No. 9
Hot Country Songs peak date: Oct. 3, 1964 -
“Somewhere Over Laredo,” Lainey Wilson
Image Credit: John Shearer/Getty Images Hot Country Songs peak position: No. 7
Hot Country Songs peak date: Dec. 6, 2025 -
“Dream On Texas Ladies,” Rex Allen Jr.
Hot Country Songs peak position: No. 18
Hot Country Songs peak date: Sept. 22, 1984 -
“She Talked a Lot About Texas,” Cal Smith
Hot Country Songs peak position: No. 13
Hot Country Songs peak date: June 21, 1975 -
“Texas in 1880,” Foster & Lloyd
Hot Country Songs peak position: No. 18
Hot Country Songs peak date: June 11, 1988 -
“There’s a Girl in Texas,” Trace Adkins
Hot Country Songs peak position: No. 20
Hot Country Songs peak date: Aug. 3, 1996 -
“Lone Star Beer and Bob Wills Music,” Red Steagall
Hot Country Songs peak position: No. 11
Hot Country Songs peak date: May 1, 1976 -
“A Texas State of Mind,” David Frizzell & Shelly West
Hot Country Songs peak position: No. 9
Hot Country Songs peak date: Aug. 29, 1981 -
“T for Texas,” Grandpa Jones
Hot Country Songs peak position: No. 5
Hot Country Songs peak date: Feb. 9, 1963 -
“Laredo,” Chris Cagle
Hot Country Songs peak position: No. 8
Hot Country Songs peak date: Aug. 11, 2001 -
“Down on the Rio Grande,” Johnny Rodriguez
Image Credit: ABC Photo Archives/Disney via Getty Images Hot Country Songs peak position: No. 6
Hot Country Songs peak date: May 12, 1979 -
“Texas Size Heartache,” Joe Diffie
Hot Country Songs peak position: No. 4
Hot Country Songs peak date: Aug. 29, 1998 -
“She Came From Fort Worth,” Kathy Mattea
Hot Country Songs peak position: No. 2
Hot Country Songs peak date: June 16, 1990 -
“God Blessed Texas,” Little Texas
Hot Country Songs peak position: No. 4
Hot Country Songs peak date: Dec. 11, 1993 -
“Blame It on Texas,” Mark Chesnutt
Hot Country Songs peak position: No. 5
Hot Country Songs peak date: June 1, 1991 -
“Amy’s Back in Austin,” Little Texas
Hot Country Songs peak position: No. 4
Hot Country Songs peak date: April 1, 1995 -
“Texas Hold ‘Em,” Beyoncé
Image Credit: Mason Poole Hot Country Songs peak position: No. 1 (10 weeks)
Hot Country Songs peak date: Feb. 24, 2024 -
“Long Long Texas Road,” Roy Drusky
Hot Country Songs peak position: No. 5
Hot Country Songs peak date: July 4, 1970 -
“Choosin’ Texas,” Ella Langley
Image Credit: Adam Kissick/SXSW Conference & Festivals Hot Country Songs peak position: No. 1 (17 weeks through March 28, 2026)
Hot Country Songs peak date: Dec. 6, 2025 -
“Texas (When I Die),” Tanya Tucker
Hot Country Songs peak position: No. 5
Hot Country Songs peak date: Feb. 3, 1979 -
“Stars Over Texas,” Tracy Lawrence
Hot Country Songs peak position: No. 2
Hot Country Songs peak date: Oct. 12, 1996 -
“My First Taste of Texas,” Ed Bruce
Hot Country Songs peak position: No. 6
Hot Country Songs peak date: April 9, 1983 -
“Amarillo by Morning,” George Strait
Hot Country Songs peak position: No. 4
Hot Country Songs peak date: April 30, 1983 -
“Texas in My Rear View Mirror,” Mac Davis
Hot Country Songs peak position: No. 9
Hot Country Songs peak date: Dec. 20, 1980 -
“Amarillo Sky,” Jason Aldean
Image Credit: Spidey Smith Hot Country Songs peak position: No. 4
Hot Country Songs peak date: Feb. 3, 2007 -
“Texas Tornado,” Tracy Lawrence
Hot Country Songs peak position: No. 1 (one week)
Hot Country Songs peak date: June 24, 1995 -
“This Ain’t Dallas,” Hank Williams Jr.
Hot Country Songs peak position: No. 4
Hot Country Songs peak date: Nov. 23, 1985 -
“Texas Women,” Hank Williams Jr.
Hot Country Songs peak position: No. 1 (one week)
Hot Country Songs peak date: March 28, 1981 -
“Austin,” Dasha
Image Credit: Danielle Del Valle/Getty Images Hot Country Songs peak position: No. 3
Hot Country Songs peak date: April 27, 2024 -
“Cross the Brazos at Waco,” Billy Walker
Hot Country Songs peak position: No. 2
Hot Country Songs peak date: Dec. 26, 1964 -
“Galveston,” Glen Campbell
Hot Country Songs peak position: No. 1 (three weeks)
Hot Country Songs peak date: April 19, 1969 -
“Goin’ Through the Big D,” Mark Chesnutt
Hot Country Songs peak position: No. 2
Hot Country Songs peak date: Jan. 14, 1995 -
“Houston Solution,” Ronnie Milsap
Hot Country Songs peak position: No. 4
Hot Country Songs peak date: July 15, 1989 -
“San Antonio Stroll,” Tanya Tucker
Hot Country Songs peak position: No. 1 (one week)
Hot Country Songs peak date: Oct. 25, 1975 -
“All My Ex’s Live in Texas,” George Strait
Image Credit: Terry Wyatt/Getty Images Hot Country Songs peak position: No. 1 (one week)
Hot Country Songs peak date: July 11, 1987 -
“El Paso,” Marty Robbins
Hot Country Songs peak position: No. 1 (seven weeks)
Hot Country Songs peak date: Dec. 21, 1959 -
“Abilene,” George Hamilton IV
Hot Country Songs peak position: No. 1 (four weeks)
Hot Country Songs peak date: Sept. 14, 1963 -
“El Paso City,” Marty Robbins
Hot Country Songs peak position: No. 1 (two weeks)
Hot Country Songs peak date: June 19, 1976 -
“Makin’ Up for Lost Time (The Dallas Lovers’ Song),” Crystal Gayle & Gary Morris
Hot Country Songs peak position: No. 1 (one week)
Hot Country Songs peak date: Feb. 15, 1986 -
“Dallas,” Alan Jackson
Image Credit: Rick Diamond/Getty Images Hot Country Songs peak position: No. 1 (one week)
Hot Country Songs peak date: March 21, 1992 -
“Does Fort Worth Ever Cross Your Mind,” George Strait
Hot Country Songs peak position: No. 1 (one week)
Hot Country Songs peak date: Jan. 5, 1985 -
“If You’re Gonna Play in Texas,” Alabama
Image Credit: CBS via Getty Images Hot Country Songs peak position: No. 1 (one week)
Hot Country Songs peak date: Oct. 27, 1984 -
“Bluest Eyes in Texas,” Restless Heart
Hot Country Songs peak position: No. 1 (one week)
Hot Country Songs peak date: Aug. 20, 1988 -
“Austin,” Blake Shelton
Image Credit: Christopher Polk/Penske Media Hot Country Songs peak position: No. 1 (five weeks)
Hot Country Songs peak date: Aug. 11, 2001 -
“Houston (Means I’m One Day Closer to You),” Larry Gatlin & the Gatlin Brothers
Hot Country Songs peak position: No. 1 (two weeks)
Hot Country Songs peak date: Dec. 24, 1983 -
“Luckenbach, Texas (Back to the Basics of Love),” Waylon Jennings
Image Credit: Big Hassle Hot Country Songs peak position: No. 1 (six weeks)
Hot Country Songs peak date: May 21, 1977
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