"Earl Had to Die: The 20 Greatest Country Songs About Killing Your Partner"
Murder-themed songs have always been an important part of traditional country music. Although they may not be as common nowadays, there is still a wide selection of exceptional songs about men murdering their female partners. On the other hand, songs that explore the opposite scenario are less frequent. However, country music does have a significant number of songs about women who commit acts of murder, and we have compiled a list to showcase them.
We eliminated certain contenders from this list based on specific parameters. Our main focus was to include only one song per artist, which resulted in only one slot for both Carrie Underwood and Miranda Lambert, despite their numerous murder songs. Although songs like "Before He Cheats," "Church Bells," "White Liar," and "Kerosene" are excellent revenge anthems, they were ultimately replaced by even more popular songs in the final selection.
The criteria for being included in this list was quite specific. Only murders with at least one male victim were considered, which is why Ashley McBryde's "Martha Divine," despite being an exceptional modern murder song in the genre, did not qualify. 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 it onto this list for the same reason.
What remains is a truly outstanding and wicked collection of the most impactful songs in country music that revolve around killing someone. Take a look at the images below to discover our choices for the top revenge songs and lesser-known gems that explore the theme of murder, particularly targeting the man in one's life (or persuading someone else to do it for you). Keep reading and don't forget to share your favorite song about getting rid of your man in the comments section if we overlooked it.
Earl Had to Die: A Compilation of the Finest Country Songs Depicting the Act of Killing Your Partner
Gallery Credit: Carena Liptak
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