"Earl Had to Go: The 20 Greatest Country Songs About Taking Your Man's Life"
Songs about murder have always been a significant part of traditional country music. Although they may not be as common nowadays, there is still a collection of exceptional songs about men killing their female romantic partners. However, it is less common to find songs that depict women taking a life. Fortunately, country music also offers a substantial number of songs about women who commit murder, and we have compiled a list to showcase them.
We eliminated certain contenders from this list based on a few criteria. Our main focus was to only include one song per artist, so even though Carrie Underwood and Miranda Lambert have multiple murder songs in their repertoire, they were each only given one spot on the list. Songs such as "Before He Cheats," "Church Bells," "White Liar," and "Kerosene" are all excellent revenge anthems, but ultimately, larger songs overshadowed them and they didn't make the final selection.
The criteria for making it onto this list of murder songs was quite specific. Only murders with at least one male victim were considered, which unfortunately meant that Ashley McBryde's "Martha Divine," a superb modern murder song, was excluded. Other notable mentions include Willie Nelson's "Red Headed Stranger" and The SteelDrivers' "If It Hadn't Been for Love," but they also didn't make the cut for this list.
Presented here is a remarkable and wicked compilation of the most impactful songs in country music that revolve around the idea of killing someone. Take a look at the selection below to discover our top choices for revenge-themed songs and lesser-known tracks that explore the concept of murdering the man in your life (or persuading someone else to do it for you). Keep reading and don't forget to share in the comments if we overlooked your favorite tune about eliminating your partner.
Earl Had to Go: The Top 20 Country Songs About Taking Revenge on Your Partner
Image Credit: Carena Liptak
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