"Earl Had to Die: The 20 Finest Country Songs Depicting Killing Your Partner"
Murder-themed songs have always held a significant place in traditional country music. Although they may not be as common nowadays, there is still a collection of exceptional songs exploring the theme of men killing their female romantic partners. On the other hand, songs portraying women as the perpetrators are less frequent but don't worry, the country genre also offers a substantial number of songs on that subject. And we've compiled a list to showcase them.
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 resulted in Carrie Underwood and Miranda Lambert, both popular country singers with multiple murder-themed songs, only having one song representation each. Although songs like "Before He Cheats," "Church Bells," "White Liar," and "Kerosene" are all excellent revenge anthems, they were ultimately surpassed by even more popular songs and 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 excluded Ashley McBryde's "Martha Divine," even though it is regarded as one of the best modern murder songs in the genre. Other 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 the final list.
The remaining content is an impressive and wicked compilation of the most impactful songs in country music that express the desire to harm or kill someone. Take a look at the gallery below to discover our top choices for revenge songs and hidden gems that revolve around the theme of murder, particularly targeting men in one's life or persuading others to do the deed. Keep reading, and don't forget to tell us in the comments if we overlooked your favorite song centered on eliminating your partner.
Title: Earl's Demise: The Top 20 Country Songs Depicting the Act of Eliminating Your Partner
Credit: Carena Liptak
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