"Earl Had to Die: The 20 Greatest Country Songs about Murdering Your Partner"
Murder-themed songs have always held a significant place in traditional country music. Although they may not be as common in today's country genre, there is still a substantial collection of exceptional songs that revolve around men killing their female romantic partners. On the other hand, songs depicting women taking the life of their partners are not as frequent. However, there is no need to worry as country music also offers a variety of songs on this subject, and we have compiled a list to showcase them.
We had to consider a few factors in order to narrow down the contenders for this list. Our main criterion was to include only one song per artist, which meant that even though country stars Carrie Underwood and Miranda Lambert have multiple murder songs in their music collections, we could only include one from each. Songs like "Before He Cheats," "Church Bells," "White Liar," and "Kerosene" are all excellent revenge anthems, but in the end, there were even more popular songs that took priority over them in the final selection.
The theme of the list was quite specific, which further limited the options. In order for a murder song to be included, it had to have at least one male victim. Therefore, even though Ashley McBryde's "Martha Divine" is considered one of the best modern murder songs in the genre, it didn't qualify for this list. 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 an extraordinary and wicked compilation of the most impactful songs in country music that revolve around the concept of killing someone. Take a look at the list below to discover our top choices for revenge-themed songs and lesser-known tracks that delve into the subject of murdering the man in your life (or persuading someone else to do it on your behalf). Keep reading and don't forget to share your favorite song about eliminating your partner in the comments section if we happened to overlook it.
Earl's Fate: The Top 20 Country Songs Depicting the Act of Killing Your Partner
Credit for Gallery: Carena Liptak
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