With Beyoncé making history at the pinnacle of Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart, beckoning listeners to the dancefloor with “Texas Hold ‘Em,” the Houston, Texas native gives a tip of the hat to her homestate–the music, the heatwaves and the whiskey.
Texas, home to more than 29 million residents as of 2021, has produced scores of country music’s biggest artists over the decades, including George Strait, George Jones, Kacey Musgraves, Miranda Lambert, Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, The Chicks and Tanya Tucker. But also, as the sounds of Texas Country meshed with the Red Dirt sounds emanating from Oklahoma over the years, the Lone Star State has provided fertile grounds for artists such as Pat Green, Josh Abbott Band and Flatland Cavalry.
According to the 2023 Texas Music Industry Economic impact Report, the music industry in Texas, including music businesses supporting a range of musical genres and music education, fostered an economic impact in 2022 that included nearly 90,000 permanent jobs, $4.6 billion in annual earnings and more than $10.8 billion in annual economic activity. Of course, Texas is also home to Austin, billed as “The Live Music Capital of the World,” with approximately 250 live music venues representing a range of musical styles.
The list of iconic artists—native Texans and non-Texans alike—who have tipped their hats to the Lone Star State has included Jimmie Rodgers, Elvis Presley, Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys, Gary Moore, Stevie Ray Vaughan and more. Some songs pay homage to the state’s wide open spaces, Texan cuisine, rodeo culture, or the grit and determination of its cowboys and cowgirls. Other tracks mourn ex-lovers, devote lyrics to putting specific Texas towns in a greater spotlight, or center on stories from the state’s history.
Here, we look at 10 more songs featuring “Texas” in the title that nod to the Lone Star State.
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Cody Johnson, “That’s Texas”
On this track from his recent album Leather, Texan Johnson lists off Texas mainstays such as the sweltering heat, chili with no beans and the Cowboys football team, and also shouts out Cindy Walker’s “Texas With a Capital T.”
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Tanner Adell, “I Hate Texas”
Included on Adell’s 2023 project Buckle Bunny, she mourns seeing her ex-lover drive away “with those Dallas plates,” leaving her alone after she “fell in love with the Lone Star State.”
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Asleep at the Wheel, “Miles and Miles of Texas”
Originally recorded by Jim McGraw And The Western Sundowners in 1961, eight-time Grammy winners Asleep at the Wheel made this classic their own when they included it on their 1976 album Wheelin’ and Dealin’. The song depicts one man’s journey from Louisiana to Texas, where he takes a long look at the expanse of land, finds the love of his life and declares he’s “Gonna live here ’til I die.”
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Ernest Tubb, “Waltz Across Texas”
“When you look at me with those stars in your eyes/ I could waltz across Texas with you,” goes this western swing classic, which Tubb and his Texas Troubadours released in 1965. Their version reached No. 34 on the Hot Country Songs chart. “Waltz Across Texas” has since been covered by many other artists, including Bob Wills and Willie Nelson.
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Tanya Tucker, “Texas (When I Die)”
Born in Seminole, Texas and inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame last year, Tucker released this song in 1978, maintaining that if she doesn’t make it past the pearly gates when she dies, just let her go to Texas — it’s a close second. Her version reached No. 5 on the Hot Country Songs chart. Ed Bruce previously recorded the song, hitting No. 52 on the Hot Country Songs chart in 1977.
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Waylon Jennings, “Luckenbach, Texas (Back to the Basics of Love)”
This Chips Moman and Bobby Emmons-written song was released in 1977 and included on Jennings’ album Ol’ Waylon. The song depicts a couple whose “high society” life has caused tension in their marriage, so they decide to move to Luckenbach, Texas to live a simpler life. The song, which also features vocals from Willie Nelson, became a No. 1 Billboard country hit.
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Alabama, “If You’re Gonna Play in Texas (You Gotta Have a Fiddle in the Band)”
Released in 1984, this song became Alabama’s 14th consecutive No. 1 hit on Billboard’s Hot Country Singles (now Hot Country Songs) chart. From the jump, the song immediately finds lead singer Randy Owen offering a musical warning for any band wanting to play in Texas: You better bring a fiddle. The song details a concert in Houston, Texas where “a cowboy in the back stood up” and told the group that while he appreciated their music, he felt compelled to tell them “there’s just something missing in your song.” The tune goes on to namecheck songs like Bob Wills’ “Faded Love.”
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Ray Wylie Hubbard, “Screw You, We’re From Texas”
Wylie Hubbard has never been one to hide how he feels, and in this 2003 song, he flys a strong banner for the Lone Star State — taking pride in the array of ace music that flows from Texas, while also taking aim at the state’s corrupt politicians and greedy corporations. He praises Texas’ iconic music venues, including Antone’s, Stubbs and Gruene Hall, and honors musicians like Willie Nelson, Jerry Jeff Walker, Hayes Carll and Robert Earl Keen.
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George Strait, “All My Ex’s Live in Texas”
This Tennessee resident’s heart is in Texas — but so are his multitude of ex-lovers. Written by Sanger D. Shafer and Lyndia J. Shafer, this song was featured on George Strait’s Ocean Front Property album and became a No. 1 Billboard country hit for Strait in 1987. The song was also nominated for a Grammy award for best male country vocal performance.
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Little Texas, “God Blessed Texas”
One of the premier Texas-praising songs of ’90s country music, this Little Texas hit became an enduring favorite at sports games across Texas and has been used in advertising for various companies in Texas, such as Six Flags Over Texas. The song’s lyrics depict someone who has traveled far and wide, “seen some pretty faces/ Been with some beautiful girls.” He maintains that the Lone Star State has been divinely favored, or as the song puts it, “God blessed Texas with His own hand/ Brought down angels from the promised land.”
