{"id":407545,"date":"2026-04-23T22:16:12","date_gmt":"2026-04-23T22:16:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/407545\/"},"modified":"2026-04-23T22:16:12","modified_gmt":"2026-04-23T22:16:12","slug":"olivia-rodrigos-drop-dead-ella-langleys-texas-race-for-no-1","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/407545\/","title":{"rendered":"Olivia Rodrigo’s “Drop Dead” & Ella Langley’s “Texas” Race for No. 1"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\tThe Contenders<\/a> is a semi-regular midweek column that looks at artists aiming for the top of the Billboard charts, and the strategies behind their efforts. This week, for the upcoming Billboard Hot 100<\/a> dated Feb. 14, we look at the chances of Olivia Rodrigo\u2019s swoony new single to snag the chart\u2019s top spot from Ella Langley\u2019s indefatigable heartbreak smash.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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See latest videos, charts and news<\/p>\n

\n\tOlivia Rodrigo, \u201cDrop Dead\u201d (Geffen\/Interscope Capitol): Over her still-short career in pop stardom, Olivia Rodrigo<\/a> has acquired a taste for debuting at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 with her new albums\u2019 lead singles. Breakout hit \u201cDrivers License,\u201d which led her debut album Sour, went immediately viral enough to bow atop the Hot 100 in January 2021. Two years later, \u201cVampire\u201d entered at No. 1 as the advance single from sophomore effort Guts, making her the first artist ever to debut the lead singles from two career-opening albums at No. 1 on the Hot 100.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tNow, Rodrigo looks to go three-for-three with \u201cDrop Dead,\u201d the first taste of her third LP You Seem Pretty Sad for a Girl So in Love. The new song, which features both a more upbeat sound and a much more upbeat outlook on love and romance than her two prior lead singles, hit streamers and retailers last Friday (April 17). The song has mostly drawn strong reviews, and got off to a dynamite start on DSPs, topping Spotify\u2019s Daily Top Songs USA chart \u2014\u00a0with just over 4 million plays, a slightly stronger opening than \u201cVampire\u201d \u2014\u00a0and thusfar remaining there through the week, while reaching as high as No. 2 on Apple Music\u2019s realtime chart.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tWhether it can topple Ella Langley<\/a>\u2019s seven-week Hot 100 No.1 \u201cChoosin\u2019 Texas,\u201d however, may largely come down to sales. Langley will, of course, have the radio advantage, given her single\u2019s months-long head start \u2014\u00a0though \u201cDrop Dead\u201d begins strong there as well, with 17.6 million in initial five-day all-format audience, according to Luminate\u00a0\u2014 but Rodrigo may make up the difference in sales, with a wide variety of editions of the new single available both for digital and physical purchase.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tOnline, Rodrigo has released multiple music videos, multiple cover variants, and multiple different edits of the song, including \u201cthe most alive I\u2019ve ever been \u2013 sped up\u201d and \u201cyou know all the words \u2013 isolated vocals\u201d editions, which should help her accumulate one of the year\u2019s most robust single-week digital sales totals. Through her website, she has also sold the single on CD, cassette and vinyl, with the vinyl release of the song already selling out \u2014\u00a0though it is unclear what percentage of those copies shipped during this current tracking week (April 17-23), with later-shipped copies counting towards future chart weeks.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tWith the single really getting the full streaming and sales push from Rodrigo and her label \u2014\u00a0reminiscent of recent campaigns for megastars like Taylor Swift and BTS \u2014\u00a0it seems a good bet that \u201cDrop Dead\u201d will end up being undeniable at the top spot next week. But it\u2019ll have to play all 48 minutes, as the competition this week remains very strong.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tElla Langley, \u201cChoosin\u2019 Texas\u201d & \u201cBe Her\u201d (SAWGOD\/Columbia\/Triple Tigers): \u201cChoosin\u2019 Texas\u201d has established itself as the song to beat on the Hot 100 this spring, fortifying its stronghold at the chart\u2019s apex in recent weeks with the debut of both the song\u2019s star-studded music video (including Yellowstone star Luke Grimes and \u201cTexas\u201d co-writer Miranda Lambert) and the release of its parent album, Dandelion. The song remains atop Streaming Songs<\/a> this week (dated April 25), and remains in the top 10 on Digital Song Sales<\/a> (No. 2) and Radio Songs<\/a> (No. 9), with no obvious drop-off for the song coming in the near future. (No major bumps are expected to be imminent for it either, though she will get a big look this weekend at the Stagecoach Music Festival.)\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tHowever, she has to compete with herself on the charts a little bit, as Dandelion not only debuts atop the Billboard 200 this week, it launches 15 total tracks onto the Hot 100 \u2014 including Langley\u2019s second top five hit, \u201cBe Her\u201d (8-4). That song has nestled behind \u201cTexas\u201d on Streaming Songs the past two weeks, and is also growing on radio, up 29-26 on Radio Songs this week, and reaching the top 10 on Country Airplay<\/a> (12-10) for the first time.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tStill, before \u201cBe Her\u201d really gets a chance to challenge \u201cChoosin\u2019 Texas\u201d for the Hot 100\u2019s top spot, both songs might get lapped by a yet-unreleased song: \u201cI Can\u2019t Love You Anymore,\u201d a new duet with country superstar Morgan Wallen that the duo debuted onstage over the weekend (April 18) at their show in Tuscaloosa, Ala. Given that Wallen and Langley have easily been the two most Hot 100-dominant country artists of the past year, \u201cAnymore\u201d is expected to have a resounding chart debut, with Langley potentially challenging for three of the Hot 100\u2019s top five spots on the week after next\u2019s chart \u2014 and will almost certainly be back in strong No. 1 contention, possibly with multiple songs.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tTaylor Swift, \u201cElizabeth Taylor\u201d (Republic): Don\u2019t count out the most dominant Hot 100 force <\/a>of recent years making her presence felt in next week\u2019s chart race. Though \u201cElizabeth Taylor\u201d has not really approached the top of the Hot 100 since debuting at No. 3 in the first chart week for its The Life of a Showgirl parent album, it has rebounded in the past few weeks \u2014 thanks to its new, Elizabeth Taylor footage-compiled music video and a concentrated radio push \u2014 and now sits at No. 51 on the chart.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tIt should make a big jump next week, thanks to its release on 7-inch vinyl as a Record Store Day exclusive, with the single expected to be a big seller. Just how big remains to be seen \u2014 but given Swift\u2019s long-proven selling power, a possible return to at least the top 10 certainly can\u2019t be counted out.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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