"Earl Had to Die: The 20 Greatest Country Songs About Taking the Life of Your Significant Other"
Songs about murder have always been a significant part of traditional country music. Although they may not be as common in today's country music scene, there is still a collection of exceptional songs that narrate men killing their female romantic partners. However, it is less frequent to come across songs that depict the opposite scenario. Nevertheless, country music also offers a variety of songs that tell the stories of women who commit murder, and we have compiled a list to showcase them.
We eliminated certain contenders for this list based on a few factors. Our focus was on choosing only one song per artist, which meant that popular country artists Carrie Underwood and Miranda Lambert, who have multiple songs about murder, were only included once each. Songs like "Before He Cheats," "Church Bells," "White Liar," and "Kerosene" are all excellent revenge anthems, but in the end, they were overshadowed by even more impactful songs and did not 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 meant that Ashley McBryde's "Martha Divine," despite being a fantastic modern murder song, did not qualify. Other songs worth mentioning are 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 a remarkable and wicked compilation of the most outstanding songs in country music that express a desire to harm someone. As you browse through the collection, you will find our choices for the most satisfying revenge songs and lesser-known tracks that revolve around the theme of murder, particularly targeting men in one's life or persuading others to carry out the act. Keep reading and don't forget to share your favorite song about eliminating your partner in the comments section if we happened to overlook it.
Earl's Demise: The Top 20 Country Songs Depicting the Act of Killing Your Partner
Gallery Attribution: Carena Liptak
Additional content from Taste of Country can be found here. For more updates and news