Britney Spears has made a rather unexpected return to the Billboard charts this week, but not with anything new. The pop singer’s career-defining smash hit “Toxic” has not just reappeared on one specific chart but has managed a very surprising debut.
This time around, Spears’s “Toxic” debuts on the Dance/Electronic Streaming Songs chart, which is Billboard’s weekly ranking of the most-streamed tracks in America that can be categorized as dance or electronic music. The tune bursts onto the tally at No. 24 on the 25-spot tally, narrowly breaking onto the list. It comes in ahead of only Lady Gaga’s “Bad Romance,” which is not new to the chart.
The fact that “Toxic” is only now debuting on the Dance/Electronic Streaming Songs chart is quite surprising, considering it has been out for many years. The song became a hit when it was first released in early 2004, breaking into the top 10 on the Hot 100, the all-encompassing ranking of the most-consumed tracks in the U.S. It was also a major success at pop radio and on several other dance-focused Billboard lists.
“Toxic” did make its debut before the introduction of the Dance/Electronic Streaming Songs chart, but it’s still rather shocking that it’s only hitting the tally now. The single remains one of Spears’s biggest and most memorable hits, and fans have been buying and streaming it for nearly two decades now.
Interestingly, there are several other similarly-aged tracks on the ranking this week that are also older than the chart itself, such as Gaga’s “Just Dance” and Gorillaz’s “Feel Good Inc.,” but neither are new to the list
Spears has now sent just six tracks to the Dance/Electronic Streaming Songs chart. Her last debut on the tally occurred last year when “Hold Me Closer,” her collaboration with Elton John, reached No. 1, marking her only chart-topper. She has also broken into the top 10 with “Work Bitch” and “Scream & Shout,” a collaboration with Will.I.Am.
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