"Earl Had to Die: The 20 Greatest Country Songs About Harming Your Partner"
Murder-themed songs 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 about men killing their female partners. On the other hand, songs about women committing murder are not as frequent, but don't worry, the country genre also offers a considerable number of such songs, and we have compiled a list to showcase them.
In order to narrow down the list, we set some parameters that eliminated certain contenders. We made the decision to include only one song per artist, which meant that popular country singers Carrie Underwood and Miranda Lambert, who have multiple murder-themed songs in their repertoire, only received one spot each. Although songs like "Before He Cheats," "Church Bells," "White Liar," and "Kerosene" are excellent revenge anthems, they were ultimately overshadowed by even more popular songs and did not make the final cut.
The criteria of the theme was precise in order to further narrow the selection. In order for a murder song to be included on 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 could not be included. 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 consists of an impressive and sinister collection of the most impactful songs in country music that revolve around the idea of killing someone. Take a look at the list below to discover our top choices for revenge songs and lesser-known tracks that explore the theme of murder, particularly when it involves killing a 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 eliminating your significant other.
Earl Had to Die: A Compilation of the Top 20 Country Songs Depicting the Act of Killing Your Partner. Credit for the Gallery goes to Carena Liptak
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