Earl Had to Die: The 20 Greatest Country Songs About Killing Your Partner
Songs about murder are a common theme in traditional country music, although they are not as common in modern times. There are still many songs about men killing their female partners, but there are also songs about women who commit murder. Country music has a variety of songs on this topic.
We excluded certain choices from this list based on specific criteria. Our main rule was to only include one song from each artist, so even though Carrie Underwood and Miranda Lambert have multiple songs about revenge, they each only made it onto the list once. Songs like "Before He Cheats," "Church Bells," "White Liar," and "Kerosene" are all powerful revenge songs, but they were edged out by even more popular songs in the end.
The theme was focused enough to make the selection process more precise. In order for a murder song to be considered, it needed to have a male victim. This meant that songs like Ashley McBryde's "Martha Divine" were not eligible, despite their quality. 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 a collection of the most impactful and villainous songs in country music that revolve around themes of killing a man. Take a look at our selection of the top revenge songs and hidden gems related to murder, particularly in the context of getting rid of a significant other or persuading someone else to do it. Feel free to share your favorite songs on this topic in the comments section.
Earl Had to Die: A Collection of 20 Top Country Songs About Taking Out Your Partner
Credit for Gallery: Carena Liptak
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