Songfacts®:

• "Texas" is a lost love country song that tells the story of a man left behind by a free-spirited woman who has likely headed to Texas. The song tips a Stetson to George Strait's iconic hit "All My Ex's Live In Texas."
  
  She's probably in Texas
  Amarillo, all I know
  George Strait said it
  Yeah, that's where all them exes go
• Written by Johnny Clawson, Kyle Sturrock, Josh Dorr, and Lalo Guzman, "Texas" was produced by Scott Hendricks, a longtime collaborator of Shelton's. The track blends Shelton's signature sound with a fresh edge, introducing an engaging call-and-response style that's new territory for the country star. "The thing that struck me about 'Texas' immediately was how different it sounded for me," Shelton said, "and I'm always looking to push myself."
• The music video co-stars Lioness actress Genesis Rodriguez as Shelton's elusive ex-girlfriend. The visuals shift between the country star brooding in a bar, wondering where she's gone, and Rodriguez driving down wide-open roads in a convertible.
  
  Shelton described the "Texas" video to Entertainment Tonight as a fresh take on the classic "guy-got-dumped" country story but with a musical twist that's "way different" from anything he's done before.
• Released on November 15, 2024, "Texas" marked Shelton's first single under his new label, BMG/BBR Music Group and Wheelhouse Records, after parting ways with his longtime home, Warner Music Nashville, in September 2024. "This is the perfect opportunity to come back with something so different," Shelton shared. "It's connected with what I've done but moves forward at the same time."
• "Texas" brings Shelton full circle. His 2001 breakout hit, "Austin," as in Austin, Texas, is also about a man yearning for a woman who left him for the Lone Star State. But while "Austin" offers a glimmer of hope in the form of a happy reunion, in "Texas" there's no fairy-tale ending, just the lingering ache of what might have been.
• During his first meeting with BMG Records, Shelton played "Texas," and it made an immediate impression. John Loba, president of the label, stood up and declared it the first single, solidifying Shelton's confidence in the song.
  
  Shelton admitted to Pure Country Radio's Shannon Ella that he had been losing touch with "where the goalpost was" in the ever-evolving music industry, so he felt validated and reassured when Loba loved it.
• When Blake Shelton released "Texas," he wasn't sure how the public would receive it, since it differed from his previous work. However, after encouragement from his team, friends, and family, he took the leap. The risk paid off - fans quickly embraced the song and Shelton was thrilled to see audiences already singing along at his concerts.
• Shelton told Audacy's Katie & Company that most songs wear him out after recording them, but "Texas" was different. "I'd wake up in the middle of the night just singing my own song," he said.
• "Texas" is the lead single from the For Recreational Use Only album. Shelton doesn't like naming albums and jokingly texted "For Recreational Use Only" to his manager during a deadline crunch, but his manager loved it and ran with it. "It is kind of a stupid name... but maybe one people would remember," said the singer.