"Earl Had to Die: The 20 Greatest Country Songs About Taking the Life of Your Partner"
Songs about murder have always been a significant part of traditional country music. Although they may not be as common nowadays, there is still a collection of exceptional songs that revolve around men killing their female lovers. While less frequent, there are also country songs that tell the story of women who commit murder, and we have compiled a list of these songs to showcase their presence in the genre.
To narrow down the options, certain criteria were used to eliminate some obvious choices for this list. The main criterion was to include only one song per artist, which means that popular country singers Carrie Underwood and Miranda Lambert, who both have multiple songs about murder in their repertoire, were only given one spot each. Songs like "Before He Cheats," "Church Bells," "White Liar," and "Kerosene" are all excellent revenge anthems, but in the end, there were even more popular songs that took precedence over them and secured a place on the final list.
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," even though it is recognized as one of the best modern murder songs in the genre, did not qualify. Two 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 meet the criteria for this list.
The remaining selection is truly remarkable and wicked, a compilation of the most powerful songs in country music that express the desire to harm someone. Take a look at the images below to discover our choices for the top revenge songs and lesser-known tracks that revolve around the idea of committing murder, particularly targeting the 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 Eliminating Your Partner
Credit for Gallery: Carena Liptak
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