"Earl Had to Die: The 20 Best Country Songs About Killing Your Man" highlights the prominent presence of murder ballads in classic country music. Although these types of songs are not as common in the genre today, there are still many exceptional tracks about men murdering their female romantic partners. However, songs that depict women killing their male partners are less frequent. Nevertheless, country music also offers a substantial collection of songs on this topic, and we have compiled a list to showcase them.
In order to create this list, we had to consider a few factors that eliminated some obvious choices. Our main criteria was selecting only one song per artist, which meant that popular country stars Carrie Underwood and Miranda Lambert, who have multiple songs about murder in their repertoire, were only able to secure one spot each. While songs like "Before He Cheats," "Church Bells," "White Liar," and "Kerosene" are all excellent revenge anthems, they were ultimately overshadowed by even more impactful songs and didn't make the final selection.
In order to make it on this list, the murder theme had to include at least one male victim. This meant that even though Ashley McBryde's "Martha Divine" is considered one of the best modern murder songs in the genre, it didn't qualify. Other notable mentions, like Willie Nelson's "Red Headed Stranger" and The SteelDrivers' "If It Hadn't Been for Love," also didn't make the cut for the same reason.
What remains is an incredible and sinister collection of the most powerful songs in country music that express a desire to harm someone. Take a look at the selection below to discover our choices for the top revenge songs and lesser-known tracks that revolve around the theme of murder, particularly when it involves killing your male partner or persuading someone else to do it. 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 Killing Your Partner
Credits for the gallery go to Carena Liptak.
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