"Earl Had to Die: The 20 Greatest Country Songs about Committing Homicide against Your Partner"
Murder-themed ballads have always played a significant role in traditional country music. Although they may not be as widespread in today's era, there is still a considerable collection of exceptional songs that delve into the topic of men killing their female romantic partners. However, it is less common to come across songs that explore the opposite scenario. But worry not, as the country genre also offers numerous songs about women who take the life of their significant others. And we have compiled a list to showcase them.
In order to narrow down the list, we set some parameters that eliminated certain contenders. Our main focus was to include only one song per artist, which meant that popular country stars like Carrie Underwood and Miranda Lambert, who have multiple murder songs in their repertoire, were only given one spot each. Songs like "Before He Cheats," "Church Bells," "White Liar," and "Kerosene" are all excellent revenge anthems, but ultimately, other songs that had even greater impact took precedence and edged them out of the final selection.
The criteria for making it onto this list was quite specific, requiring that a murder song must have a male victim. As a result, Ashley McBryde's "Martha Divine," despite being a fantastic modern murder song in the genre, did not qualify. Additionally, honorable mentions should be given to Willie Nelson's "Red Headed Stranger" and The SteelDrivers' "If It Hadn't Been for Love," although they also did not make it onto this list.
What remains is an incredibly impressive and wicked compilation of the most impactful songs in country music about killing someone. Take a look at the images below to discover our selections for the top revenge songs and hidden gems that revolve around the topic of murder – particularly, murdering the man in your life (or persuading someone else to do it on your behalf). Continue reading and don't forget to inform us in the comments if we overlooked your preferred song about eliminating your partner.
Earl Must Perish: The Top 20 Country Songs Depicting the Act of Killing Your Partner
Image Credit: Carena Liptak
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