Britney Spears Pushes Her Decades-Old Song To A New Chart High

Britney Spears' "My Only Wish (This Year)" reaches a new all-time peak on the Billboard Global Excl. ... [+] US, more than 20 years after it was first released. LOS ANGELES, CA - DECEMBER 02: Britney Spears performs at 102.7 KIIS FM's Jingle Ball 2016 at Staples Center on December 2, 2016 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jason LaVeris/FilmMagic)

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Britney Spears hasn't released a new song in about a year and a half, and she hasn't delivered a solo tune in much longer. Fans of the singer may have to wait even longer before they get to hear more music from her, as she's spoken openly about her dislike of the music industry and how she doesn't have any plans or intentions of returning to the studio.

In lieu of a new single, or even the hint of more music to come, followers of the star have been revisiting one of Spears' oldest songs. Their continued purchasing and streaming of the tune recently brought it back to a handful of charts, and now it's performing better than ever on one list.

"My Only Wish (This Year)" is on the rise on both of Billboard's charts that show what the world is listening to. The tune rockets up the Billboard Global 200 and the Billboard Global Excl. US, and it lands in a loftier-than-ever position on the latter list.

On the Billboard Global Excl. US, which tracks the most-consumed songs in the world—with all streaming and sales information from America extracted—Spears nearly scores a new top 40 hit. "My Only Wish (This Year)" shoots from No. 135 to No. 42, improving by nearly 100 spaces. That's a massive gain for any track by any singer—especially one that has already been available for so many years and which isn't being promoted.

"My Only Wish (This Year)" was released in 2000, though not as a proper Spears single. Her popularity helped power a compilation titled Platinum Christmas, which was packed with holiday-themed cuts from some of the biggest names in pop and R&B at the time. Spears' contemporaries, like Christina Aguilera, Backstreet Boys, and NSYNC, all contributed.

It would be 20 years before "My Only Wish (This Year)" was finally made available outside of that CD, which once became a top 40 title on the Billboard 200. Since it was uploaded to streaming platforms and digital download stores, those who adore the pop superstar have returned to playing and buying it again and again every December, making it a hit all around the world.

As the single manages its newly-published peak on the Billboard Global Excl. US, the same cut soars on the Billboard Global 200 at the same time. This week, Spears' single flies from No. 154 to No. 69 on that tally. That's just one rung below its all-time peak on the list, which does factor in American consumption.