"Earl Had to Die: The 20 Greatest Country Songs about Taking Down Your Man"
Songs about murder have always had a significant presence in traditional country music. Although they may not be as common nowadays, there is still a collection of exceptional songs about men ending the lives of their female romantic partners. On the other hand, songs that explore the opposite scenario are less frequent. However, fans of Country music need not worry, as there are still plenty of songs about women who take matters into their own hands and commit murder. We have compiled a list of these songs to showcase their significance.
We eliminated certain contenders from this list based on a few specific criteria. Our main focus was to include only one song per artist, which means that popular country singers Carrie Underwood and Miranda Lambert, who have multiple murder-themed songs in their discographies, were only given one spot each. While songs like "Before He Cheats," "Church Bells," "White Liar," and "Kerosene" are all excellent revenge anthems, they were ultimately excluded from the final selection due to the presence of even more popular songs.
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," despite being an excellent modern murder song, didn't qualify. Other noteworthy mentions include Willie Nelson's "Red Headed Stranger" and The SteelDrivers' "If It Hadn't Been for Love," but they also didn't make it onto this list for the same reason.
Displayed below is a collection of country music's most remarkable and wicked songs that revolve around the idea of hurting or killing someone. Take a look at our selections for the top revenge tracks and lesser-known gems that explore the theme of murder, particularly when it involves taking the life of a man who is part of your life (or persuading someone else to do it for you). Keep 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
Credits: Carena Liptak
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