"Earl Had to Die: The 20 Greatest Country Songs About Taking the Life of Your Partner"
Murder-themed songs have always held a significant place in traditional country music. Although they may not be as widely popular nowadays, there is still a collection of exceptional songs that depict men ending the lives of their female romantic partners. However, it is less common to come across songs that portray women committing such acts. Fortunately, country music has its fair share of songs that tell the stories of women who have resorted to murder, and we have compiled a list to showcase them.
In order to narrow down the list, we set a few guidelines. We decided to only include one song per artist, which meant that popular country artists Carrie Underwood and Miranda Lambert, who have multiple songs about murder in their collection, were only able to secure one spot each. Songs such as "Before He Cheats," "Church Bells," "White Liar," and "Kerosene" are all excellent revenge anthems, but ultimately, other songs that were even more popular edged them out of the final selection.
The chosen theme was quite specific, which further restricted the selection. In order for a murder song to be included in this list, it had to involve at least one male victim. Therefore, even though Ashley McBryde's "Martha Divine" is considered one of the best modern murder songs in the genre, it couldn't be included. Some other notable mentions are Willie Nelson's "Red Headed Stranger" and The SteelDrivers' "If It Hadn't Been for Love," but unfortunately, they didn't make it onto this list either.
Presented here is a remarkable and wicked collection of the most intense songs in country music that center around killing someone. Take a look through the gallery below to discover our choices for the top revenge tracks and lesser-known gems that revolve around the idea of murder—particularly, murdering the man in your life (or persuading someone else to do it on your behalf). Keep reading, and don't forget to share in the comments if we overlooked your preferred song about eliminating your significant other.
Earl's Demise: The Top 20 Country Songs Depicting the Act of Eliminating Your Partner
Image Credit: Carena Liptak
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