In 2021, Deana Carter celebrated the 25th anniversary of her breakout, 5x-Platinum debut album, Did I Shave My Legs For This? A towering, iconic pillar of '90s country, the project includes "Strawberry Wine," Carter's anthem for young love.

The singer wasn't a co-writer on the song — Matraca Berg and Gary Harrison penned "Strawberry Wine" — but she says its subject matter instantly spoke to her life story. The song follows a young girl as she falls in love for the first time, and Carter drew inspiration from her own first love to sing it.

Most people can relate to having a high school sweetheart, but what makes things a tad more interesting is exactly who Carter's remembering when she recollects hers. In high school, the country singer dated actor James Denton, who's best known for playing Mike Delfino on the ABC series Desperate Housewives.

That's right: "Strawberry Wine" is all about the small-screen hunk Carter dated when the two were teenagers growing up in Nashville. Though Denton's best known as an actor, he's a pretty skilled musician, too: He plays guitar in Band from TV, a charity cover group made up of television actors, including his Desperate Housewives costar Teri Hatcher.

Here's another fun trivia point about Carter locking lips with a celebrity: According to American Songwriter, she had a wild experience meeting Bob Dylan when she was on tour as his opener. Carter was a huge Dylan fan, and hoped to be able to meet the legendary singer-songwriter. So she asked someone from his team if it would be possible to arrange a meeting, and in the middle of his soundcheck, she saw someone go up and say something to the star.

"He stopped playing and he turns and looks the football field away at the buses. He turns back, sets his guitar down, and starts walking, and I’m just standing there by his bus freaking out," Carter remembers. "He comes up to me and he puts his arms out and he goes ... 'Did I shave my legs for this?' And he gave me this kiss on the mouth and gave me this big hug and we just had a moment. He turned around and went back and started doing his guitar again."

Top Country Songs of 2021, Ranked

You'll find much more than just the Top 10 Country Songs of 2021 on this list. Enjoy the 21 best country songs of the year, based on Taste of Country staff and country music fan opinion, plus commercial data (sales, streaming, airplay).

To be considered, the song must have been released in 2021 or have actively charted for a portion of the year (see "Wine, Beer, Whiskey"). New artists including Lainey Wilson, Larry Fleet and Morgan Wade crack the top songs list, while hitmakers including Thomas Rhett, Jason Aldean and Luke Combs make the Top 10.

Let us know your favorite song of 2021 on Twitter, or email us at staff@tasteofcountry.com.

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