Earl Had to Die: The 20 Greatest Country Songs Depicting the Act of Killing Your Partner
Traditional country music has always included murder ballads as a significant element. Although they are not as common in modern times, there is still a substantial collection of exceptional songs that revolve around men killing their female romantic partners. However, songs that portray women as the ones committing the act are not as frequent. Nevertheless, country music does have a fair share of songs that depict women killing their partners, and we have compiled a list to showcase them.
In order to narrow down the options for this list, we established certain criteria. We decided to include only one song per artist, which resulted in Carrie Underwood and Miranda Lambert, both country stars with multiple murder songs, being limited to just one slot each. Although songs like "Before He Cheats," "Church Bells," "White Liar," and "Kerosene" are all excellent revenge anthems, they were ultimately overshadowed by even more popular songs and didn't make the final cut.
The criteria for the theme was quite specific, which helped to further narrow down the options. Only murders with at least one male victim were considered for this list. As a result, Ashley McBryde's "Martha Divine", despite being one of the best modern murder songs in the genre, did not qualify. Additionally, notable mentions include Willie Nelson's "Red Headed Stranger" and The SteelDrivers' "If It Hadn't Been for Love", but they also did not make it onto this list.
Presented here is an impressive and wicked collection of the most powerful songs in country music that exude the desire to harm or eliminate someone. Take a look at the selection below to discover our top choices for revengeful songs and lesser-known tracks that revolve around the theme of murder, particularly targeting the man in your life or persuading someone else to do the deed. Keep reading, and don't forget to share your favorite song about getting rid of your man in the comments section.
Earl Had to Die: A Compilation of the Top 20 Country Songs Depicting the Act of Harming Your Partner
Credit for the Gallery: Carena Liptak
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