"Earl Had to Die: The 20 Greatest Country Songs About Killing Your Partner"
Classic country music often features murder ballads, although they are not as common nowadays. However, there is still a collection of excellent songs that focus on men killing their female romantic partners. On the other hand, songs about women committing murder are less frequent but not nonexistent in the country genre. We have compiled a list of such songs to demonstrate that country music also explores this theme.
We had to eliminate some obvious choices when creating this list. Our criteria was to include only one song per artist, so even though Carrie Underwood and Miranda Lambert have multiple murder songs in their repertoire, we could only choose one from 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 popular songs, leading to their exclusion from the final selection.
The theme was quite specific, which helped to narrow down the options even more. In order for a murder to be included in this list, it had to involve at least one male victim. As a result, Ashley McBryde's "Martha Divine," even though it is considered one of the best modern murder songs in the genre, was not eligible. 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.
Presented here is an impressive and wicked compilation of the most powerful songs in country music that express a desire to harm or kill someone. Take a look at the list below to discover our top choices for revenge-themed hits and lesser-known gems that explore the concept of murdering the man in your life, or persuading someone else to do it on your behalf. Keep reading, and don't forget to share your favorite song about eliminating your significant other in the comments section if we happened to overlook it.
Earl's Demise: Top 20 Country Songs Depicting the Act of Eliminating Your Partner
Acknowledgment: Carena Liptak
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