"Earl Had to Die: The 20 Greatest Country Songs About Killing Your Man"
Traditional country music often features murder ballads, although they are not as common in contemporary times. However, there is still a collection of exceptional songs about men murdering their female romantic partners. On the other hand, songs about women who commit murder are less frequently heard, but do exist in the country genre. We have compiled a list of these songs to showcase their presence.
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 country stars known for their murder-themed songs, each being represented by just one track. 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 did not make the final selection.
The theme was quite specific, which helped to further limit the selection. In order for a murder song to be included in this list, it had to involve at least one male victim. As a result, even though Ashley McBryde's "Martha Divine" is considered one of the best contemporary murder songs in the genre, it couldn't be included. Other notable mentions, such as Willie Nelson's "Red Headed Stranger" and The SteelDrivers' "If It Hadn't Been for Love," also didn't make the cut for this list.
We have compiled a collection of the most remarkable and wicked songs in country music that revolve around killing someone. Take a look at the gallery below to discover our choices for the top revenge hits and lesser-known gems that focus on the theme of murder, particularly killing a man in your life (or persuading someone else to do it for you). Keep reading, and don't forget to share in the comments if we overlooked your favorite song about getting rid of your man.
Earl's Demise: The Top 20 Country Songs Depicting the Act of Harming Your Partner
Credit for the Gallery: Carena Liptak
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