‘That song is cooked’: Gee celebrates Ella Langley’s Billboard record while declaring he’s done with Mariah Carey’s Christmas hit

Ella Langley’s “Choosin’ Texas” set a Billboard Hot 100 record when it reached its 23rd week at No. 1, moving past Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You.” Billboard reported the milestone Sept. 22, with Carey’s holiday song having accumulated 22 weeks atop the chart.

KIRO host Gee Scott celebrated Langley’s song, while KIRO host Ursula Reutin questioned whether chart success means the same thing today.

“I love Mariah. Good person. That song, I’m done with that one. That song is cooked,” Gee said on “The Gee and Ursula Show” on KIRO Newsradio. “I wasn’t even mad that it got beat.”

Gee praises Langley while tiring of Carey’s holiday hit

The hosts played a sample of “Choosin’ Texas” before discussing whether spending the most weeks at No. 1 automatically makes a song an enduring classic.

Gee made his preference clear.

“It’s a catchy song. I love that song, and I tell you right now, if I was from Texas, oh, that thing’d be blaring all day,” Gee said.

He contrasted that enthusiasm with his response to hearing Carey’s song.

“I’m saying what you’re thinking. You love Mariah Carey, good person. But every time you hear that song, you roll your eyes,” Gee said.

Ursula had a different reaction to Langley’s hit.

“I’m just hearing that song that’s on the top of the charts right now, and it’s very pleasant,” Ursula said.

“You ain’t never heard it before?” Gee asked.

“No,” Ursula said.

Ursula recalls recording songs from the radio

Ursula returned to the question of what a chart record means when listening habits have changed.

“You were asking if the Billboard charts make a difference anymore. It is so different,” she said. “The way people listen to their music is so different.”

Ursula recalled listening to Casey Kasem and waiting to record favorite songs.

“I had my tape deck and my finger was ready on the record button and was just waiting for the songs that I liked to record so I could have it on my tape cassette,” she said. “Those days are gone, and now there’s so much competition for attention, and so is it the same?”

A chart record, but different listening preferences

Langley’s 23 weeks at No. 1 were nonconsecutive. Carey’s total accumulated across multiple holiday seasons after her song first reached the top in 2019.

Gee returned to his enjoyment of Langley’s song after hearing the clip.

“That song is good. It’s very catchy. Just that little clip,” Gee said.

Watch the full discussion in the video above.

Listen to Gee and Ursula on “The Gee and Ursula Show” weekday mornings from 9 am to 12 pm on KIRO Newsradio.