My Only Wish (This Year)

"My Only Wish (This Year)"
Song by Britney Spears from the album Platinum Christmas
Recorded	2000
Genre	Teen pop
Length	4:15
Label	Jive
Writer	Brian Kierulf, Josh Schwartz
Producer	Brian Kierulf
Platinum Christmas track listing
"My Only Wish (This Year)" (1) "Grown-Up Christmas List" (2)

"My Only Wish (This Year)" is a teen pop Christmas song by American recording artist Britney Spears. The song was written by Brian Kierulf and Josh Schwartz and released originally in the Christmas compilation album Platinum Christmas. In the song's lyrics, Spears asks Santa Claus to find her a lover during the holidays. The track received generally mixed reviews from music critics. "My Only Wish (This Year)" charted on Denmark and Slovakia in December 2008 and December 2009, respectively.

Background and composition

"My Only Wish (This Year)" was written by Brian Kierulf and Josh Schwartz and produced by Kierulf.^[1] "My Only Wish (This Year)" is a teen pop song,^[2] and according to the sheet music published in musicnotes.com by Universal Music Publishing Group, is composed in the key of C major. It runs in a fast shuffle rhythm, a rhythm pattern used mainly in jazz-influenced music. Spears's vocal range spans from the high-tone of G₄ to the low-tone of A₅.^[3] In the song, Spears laments her loneliness during the holidays and asks Santa Claus to bring her a lover.^[4] Since its release, the song has been included in more than eight Christmas music compilations, including Now That's What I Call Christmas! (2001), Super Christmas Hits (2006) and Christmas Top 100 (2009).^[4][5]

Reception

Critical response

Michael Roberts of the Dallas Observer named the song "an unobjectionable but generic retro bounce-fest".^[6] Lori Reese of Entertainment Weekly called it "festive".^[2] In her review of Now That's What I Call Christmas!, Melissa Ruggieri of the Richmond Times-Dispatch commented, "Thankfully, only a small portion of disc two is devoted to tween magnets including Britney Spears ('My Only Wish [This Year]') and 'N Sync ('You Don't Have to Be Alone [On Christmas]')".^[4] While reviewing classic Christmas songs, Richard Jinman of The Sydney Morning Herald said that the track, along with Mariah Carey's 1994 single "All I Want for Christmas Is You", were "[two] ho-ho-horrible singles".^[7]

Chart performance

On December 26, 2008, "My Only Wish (This Year)" charted in the Danish Singles Chart due to digital downloads, debuting at number thirty-four.^[8] The song also charted in Slovakia, on the week of December 28, 2009, at number fifty-four.^[9] On the week of November 27, 2010, the song also appeared on Billboard Holiday/Seasonal Digital Songs, due to digital downloads.^[10] "My Only Wish (This Year)" has sold 162,000 digital paid downloads in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan.^[11]

Credits and personnel

• Songwriting – Brian Kierulf, Josh Schwartz, Britney Spears
• Production – Brian Kierulf
• Vocals – Britney Spears

Charts

Chart (2008/09)	Peak position
Danish Singles Chart[8]	34
Slovakian Singles Chart[9]	54

References

1. ^ (2000) Album notes for Platinum Christmas by Various artists [Liner notes]. Jive Records.
2. ^ ^{a b} Reese, Lori (2000-10-13). "Very Warm Suit". Entertainment Weekly (Time Warner). http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,85629,00.html. Retrieved 2010-03-09. 
3. ^ "Digital Sheet Music Britney Spears - My Only Wish (This Year)". musicnotes.com. Universal Music Publishing Group. http://www.musicnotes.com/sheetmusic/mtdVPE.asp?ppn=MN0060938. Retrieved 2010-03-10. 
4. ^ ^{a b c} Ruggieri, Melissa (2001-12-13). "Do you hear what I hear? ; give a listen to these holiday sounds". Richmond Times-Dispatch (Thomas A. Silvestri). http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/timesdispatch/access/95099598.html?dids=95099598:95099598&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Dec+13%2C+2001&author=Melissa+Ruggieri%3B+Contact+Melissa+Ruggieri+at+%28804%29+649-6120+or+mruggieri%40timesdispatch.com&pub=Richmond+Times+-+Dispatch&desc=DO+YOU+HEAR+WHAT+I+HEAR%3F+%3B+GIVE+A+LISTEN+TO+THESE+HOLIDAY+SOUNDS&pqatl=google. Retrieved 2010-03-10. 
5. ^ "Britney Spears - My Only Wish (This Year)". Ultratop. Hung Medien. http://www.ultratop.be/fr/showitem.asp?interpret=Britney+Spears&titel=My+Only+Wish+%28This+Year%29&cat=s. Retrieved 2010-03-10. 
6. ^ Roberts, Michael (2000-12-21). "Holidaze". Dallas Observer (Stuart Folb). http://www.dallasobserver.com/2000-12-21/music/holidaze/. Retrieved 2010-03-10. 
7. ^ Jinman, Richard (2003-12-22). "Seasons gratings". The Sydney Morning Herald (Fairfax Media). http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/12/22/1071941654076.html. Retrieved 2010-03-10. 
8. ^ ^{a b} "danishcharts.com - Britney Spears - My Only Wish (This Year)". Tracklisten. Hung Medien. http://danishcharts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=Britney+Spears&titel=My+Only+Wish+%28This+Year%29&cat=s. Retrieved 2010-11-30. 
9. ^ ^{a b} "Radio Top 100 Oficiálna - Spears Britney - My Only Wish". International Federation of the Phonographic Industry. http://www.ifpicr.cz/hitparadask/index.php?a=titul&hitparada=18&titul=145973&sec=8d1806e7078924366bd1cdc51204c56b. Retrieved 2011-10-26. 
10. ^ "Holiday/Seasonal Digital Songs — Subscription Required". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. 2010-11-27. http://www.billboard.biz/bbbiz/charts/chart-search-results/singles/3125351. Retrieved 2011-06-12. 
11. ^ Grein, Paul (2010-12-03). "Chart Watch Extra: Christmas' Greatest Hits - Chart Watch". Yahoo! Music. Yahoo!. http://new.music.yahoo.com/blogs/chart_watch/70333/chart-watch-extra-christmas-greatest-hits/;_ylt=Al3fFLDRVWHKhSNc6IdYOYoPwiUv?page=2#comments. Retrieved 2010-12-06.