About the song
Deana Carter’s iconic “Strawberry Wine.” This track isn’t just a beloved country hit from the 1990s; it’s a beautifully crafted piece of lyrical poetry that captures the bittersweet nostalgia of a first love with an honesty and tenderness that is simply breathtaking.
Released in 1996 from her debut album, Did I Shave My Legs for This?, “Strawberry Wine” became an overnight sensation, quickly soaring to the top of the charts and earning numerous awards. Its success was a testament to its universal appeal, tapping into that shared human experience of looking back on a formative moment with a mix of longing and wistful reflection. The song tells a story of a young, seventeen-year-old girl’s first summer romance, a tale of innocence and discovery that feels both deeply personal and universally relatable. The titular “strawberry wine” serves as a perfect metaphor for that love—sweet, intoxicating, and a little naive. The passage of time is the true heart of the song, as the narrator looks back, singing, “And I found a love that was a good love / But it wasn’t the kind of love that I had known / When I was seventeen and it was ‘strawberry wine’.”
What truly makes “Strawberry Wine” a masterpiece is Deana Carter’s masterful vocal performance. Her voice, with its gentle, slightly breathy quality, is perfectly suited for the song’s reflective mood. She doesn’t belt out the lyrics; instead, she delivers them with a quiet sincerity and a sense of wistful remembrance, as if she’s confiding a cherished memory to you alone. This authenticity is a hallmark of her artistry and is what makes the emotional weight of the song feel so genuine. She sings with the perspective of someone who has lived and loved since that summer, but who can still recall every detail of that first, unforgettable feeling.
Musically, the song is a classic mid-tempo country ballad, built on a foundation of gentle acoustic guitar and a steady, understated rhythm section. The production is clean and elegant, allowing the song’s powerful narrative and melodic beauty to take center stage without unnecessary frills. The subtle steel guitar adds a layer of gentle sorrow and nostalgia that perfectly complements the song’s bittersweet theme. “Strawberry Wine” stands as a testament to Deana Carter’s incredible songwriting and interpretive skills, a timeless classic that will forever be associated with the intoxicating, unforgettable feeling of a first love and the warm, golden glow of a summer long past.
Video
Lyrics
He was working through college
On my grandpa’s farm
I was thirsting for knowledge
And he had a car
Yeah, I was caught somewhere between a woman and a child
One restless summer we found love growing wild
On the banks of the river on a well beaten path
It’s funny how those memories they last
Like strawberry wine and seventeen
The hot July moon saw everything
My first taste of love, oh bittersweet
Green on the vine
Like strawberry wine
I still remember
When thirty was old
And my biggest fear was September
when he had to go
A few cards and letters and one long distance call
We drifted away like the leaves in the fall
But year after year I come back to this place
Just to remember the taste
Of strawberry wine and seventeen
The hot July moon saw everything
My first taste of love, whoa-oh, bittersweet
Green on the vine
Like strawberry wine
The fields have grown over now
Years since they’ve seen the plow
There’s nothing time hasn’t touched
Is it really him or the loss of my innocence?
I’ve been missing so much
Yeah
Strawberry wine and seventeen
The hot July moon saw everything
My first taste of love, whoa-oh bittersweet
And green on the vine
Like strawberry wine and seventeen
The hot July moon saw everything
My first taste of love, oh, bittersweet
And green on the vine
Like strawberry wine
Strawberry wine
Ooh
Strawberry wine
