My Only Wish (This Year)
Encyclopedia
"My Only Wish" 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.
and Josh Schwartz and produced by Kierulf. "My Only Wish (This Year)" is a teen pop
song, 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. In the song, Spears laments her loneliness during the holidays and asks Santa Claus
to bring her a lover. 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).
named the song "an unobjectionable but generic retro bounce-fest". Lori Reese of Entertainment Weekly
called it "festive". 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]')". 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".
Holiday/Seasonal Digital Songs, due to digital downloads. "My Only Wish (This Year)" has sold 162,000 digital paid downloads in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan
.
Teen pop
Teen pop is a subgenre of pop music that is created, marketed and oriented towards teenagers. Teen pop copies genres and styles such as pop, dance, R&B, hip hop, country and rock....
Christmas
Christmas music
Christmas music comprises a variety of genres of music normally performed or heard around the Christmas season, which tends to begin in the months leading up the actual holiday and end in the weeks shortly thereafter.-Early:...
song by American recording artist Britney Spears
Britney Spears
Britney Jean Spears is an American recording artist and entertainer. Born in McComb, Mississippi, and raised in Kentwood, Louisiana, Spears began performing as a child, landing acting roles in stage productions and television shows. She signed with Jive Records in 1997 and released her debut album...
. The song was written by Brian Kierulf
Brian Kierulf
Brian Kierulf is a songwriter and producer from USA. He usually writes songs with Joshua M. Schwartz. They are a part of KNS Productions.-Selected discography:Britney Spears - compilation album Platinum Christmas...
and Josh Schwartz and released originally in the Christmas compilation album
Compilation album
A compilation album is an album featuring tracks from one or more performers, often culled from a variety of sources The tracks are usually collected according to a common characteristic, such as popularity, genre, source or subject matter...
Platinum Christmas
Platinum Christmas
Platinum Christmas is a 2000 album released by Jive Records. The album has 16 tracks mostly by Jive Records artists.-Track listing:#My Only Wish - Britney Spears - 4:15...
. In the song's lyrics, Spears asks Santa Claus
Santa Claus
Santa Claus is a folklore figure in various cultures who distributes gifts to children, normally on Christmas Eve. Each name is a variation of Saint Nicholas, but refers to 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 KierulfBrian Kierulf
Brian Kierulf is a songwriter and producer from USA. He usually writes songs with Joshua M. Schwartz. They are a part of KNS Productions.-Selected discography:Britney Spears - compilation album Platinum Christmas...
and Josh Schwartz and produced by Kierulf. "My Only Wish (This Year)" is a teen pop
Teen pop
Teen pop is a subgenre of pop music that is created, marketed and oriented towards teenagers. Teen pop copies genres and styles such as pop, dance, R&B, hip hop, country and rock....
song, and according to the sheet music published in musicnotes.com by Universal Music Publishing Group
Universal Music Publishing Group
Universal Music Publishing Group is a music publishing company and is part of the Universal Music Group.UMPG owns or administers more than 1 million copyrights. They are one of the largest music publishing businesses in the world with more than 47 offices in 41 countries...
, is composed in the key of C major
C major
C major is a musical major scale based on C, with pitches C, D, E, F, G, A, and B. Its key signature has no flats/sharps.Its relative minor is A minor, and its parallel minor is C minor....
. It runs in a fast shuffle rhythm, a rhythm pattern used mainly in jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
-influenced music. Spears's vocal range spans from the high-tone of G4 to the low-tone of A5. In the song, Spears laments her loneliness during the holidays and asks Santa Claus
Santa Claus
Santa Claus is a folklore figure in various cultures who distributes gifts to children, normally on Christmas Eve. Each name is a variation of Saint Nicholas, but refers to Santa Claus...
to bring her a lover. Since its release, the song has been included in more than eight Christmas music compilations, including Now That's What I Call Christmas!
Now That's What I Call Christmas!
Now That's What I Call Christmas! is a two-disc holiday music compilation that was released on October 23, 2001 by Universal Music Group. The album is part of the Now! series, and the first holiday-themed album in the series....
(2001), Super Christmas Hits (2006) and Christmas Top 100 (2009).
Critical response
Michael Roberts of the Dallas ObserverDallas Observer
The Dallas Observer is a free alternative weekly newspaper distributed around the Dallas, Texas . At its inception, it was conceived as a weekly local arts and cinema review publication, with the credo "Advocate for Excellence in the Arts" on the cover. For a time during the early years, the paper...
named the song "an unobjectionable but generic retro bounce-fest". Lori Reese of Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
called it "festive". In her review of Now That's What I Call Christmas!, Melissa Ruggieri of the Richmond Times-Dispatch
Richmond Times-Dispatch
The Richmond Times-Dispatch is the primary daily newspaper in Richmond the capital of Virginia, United States, and is commonly considered the "newspaper of record" for events occurring in much of the state...
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
'N Sync
N Sync was an American boy band formed in Orlando, Florida, in 1995 and launched in Germany by BMG Ariola Munich, *NSYNC consisted of JC Chasez, Justin Timberlake, Lance Bass, Joey Fatone and Chris Kirkpatrick...
('You Don't Have to Be Alone [On Christmas]')". While reviewing classic Christmas songs, Richard Jinman of The Sydney Morning Herald
The Sydney Morning Herald
The Sydney Morning Herald is a daily broadsheet newspaper published by Fairfax Media in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1831 as the Sydney Herald, the SMH is the oldest continuously published newspaper in Australia. The newspaper is published six days a week. The newspaper's Sunday counterpart, The...
said that the track, along with Mariah Carey
Mariah Carey
Mariah Carey is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress. She made her recording debut with the release of her eponymous studio album in 1990, under the guidance of Columbia Records executive Tommy Mottola, whom she later married in 1993...
's 1994 single "All I Want for Christmas Is You", were "[two] ho-ho-horrible singles".
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. The song also charted in Slovakia, on the week of December 28, 2009, at number fifty-four. On the week of November 27, 2010, the song also appeared on BillboardBillboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
Holiday/Seasonal Digital Songs, due to digital downloads. "My Only Wish (This Year)" has sold 162,000 digital paid downloads in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan
Nielsen SoundScan
Nielsen SoundScan is an information and sales tracking system created by Mike Fine and Mike Shalett. Soundscan is the official method of tracking sales of music and music video products throughout the United States and Canada...
.
Credits and personnel
- SongwritingSongwriterA songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
– Brian KierulfBrian KierulfBrian Kierulf is a songwriter and producer from USA. He usually writes songs with Joshua M. Schwartz. They are a part of KNS Productions.-Selected discography:Britney Spears - compilation album Platinum Christmas...
, Josh Schwartz, Britney Spears - ProductionRecord producerA record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
– Brian Kierulf - VocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
– Britney Spears
Charts
| Chart (2008/09) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Danish Singles Chart | 34 |
| Slovakian Singles Chart IFPI The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry is the organisation that represents the interests of the recording industry worldwide. It is a not-for-profit members' organisation registered in Switzerland... |
54 |