What does a baby kangaroo have to do with Ella Langley's smash hit "Choosin' Texas"? Evidently, a lot.

How Did a Baby Kangaroo Inspire Ella Langley's "Choosin' Texas"?

While the song makes no actual reference to the marsupial itself, the lyrics were birthed from a wild story involving one of the track's writers, Miranda Lambert.

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"Choosin' Texas" was crafted by Langley and Lambert, in addition to Joy Beth Taylor and Luke Dick during a writers' retreat. Typically during these sessions, artists and writers toss out lines they've been chewing on, or they divulge stories to see if anything sparks an idea.

Let's just say, Lambert had a doozy of a story to tell.

Jason Kempin, Getty Images
Jason Kempin, Getty Images

As Langley tells it, Lambert launched into a story during the retreat about a time when she was pulled over and it just so happened that she had a baby kangaroo in her car.

The tea on why the animal was along for the ride has yet to be spilled, but she mentioned in her story that she had Texas plates on her car.

Miranda Lambert Was Pulled Over With a Kangaroo in Her Car

"She was driving along a dirt road, and the kangaroo was in the back seat and her dog was in the passenger seat and there was a lot going on," Langley tells the crowd in the live video below. "And she got pulled over."

If you know Lambert and her passion for animal advocacy and rescuing critters, the story doesn't sound too crazy.

"She said the lady cop pulled her over and she said, 'Of course I had Texas plates on the back of my car,'" Langley recounts. "And I said, 'Well she's from Texas, I can tell.'"

That one line became the hook on which they hung the entire song. The "Weren't for the Wind" singer says she came up with a little melody on the way to the bathroom, and from there, the song spilled out of them in about 30 minutes.

"Choosin' Texas" Has Become One of the Biggest Songs in Music History

"Choosin' Texas" continues to be an absolute monster of a hit, about a year after its release. The track set a new record for the longest-running No.1 on the Billboard Hot 100 Songs chart and the publication estimates it has generated nearly $14 million.

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Langley and Lambert have become quite the powerhouse duo. In addition to writing a genre-changing song, they have also collaborated on two tracks. The first was "Butterfly Season" which is featured on Langley's Dandelion album, while the second one is called "Snakeskin Boots." Fans can hear that one on Lambert's Crisco album.

And to think, it all started with a baby kangaroo.

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Gallery Credit: Billy Dukes

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