"Earl Had to Die: The 20 Finest Country Songs Depicting the Act of Killing Your Partner"
Murder-themed songs have always held a significant place in traditional country music. Although they are not as common nowadays, there still exists a collection of exceptional songs that portray men committing violence against their female romantic counterparts. On the other hand, it is less frequent to find songs that depict women engaging in similar acts. However, fear not, as the country music genre also offers a considerable number of songs that showcase women who take the life of their partners. And we have compiled a list to showcase them.
In order to create this list, we had to exclude certain contenders based on a few criteria. We specifically chose only one song per artist, which means that popular country singers Carrie Underwood and Miranda Lambert, who have multiple songs about murder in their repertoire, each only made it onto the list once. Songs like "Before He Cheats," "Church Bells," "White Liar," and "Kerosene" are all fantastic revenge anthems, but in the end, other songs that were even more popular took their spots on the final list.
The theme was quite specific, which helped to further narrow down the selection. In order for a murder song to be included in this list, it had to involve at least one male victim. Therefore, despite being an exceptional modern murder song in the genre, "Martha Divine" by Ashley McBryde did not qualify. Additionally, notable mentions go to "Red Headed Stranger" by Willie Nelson and "If It Hadn't Been for Love" by The SteelDrivers, but unfortunately, they did not make the final cut for this list.
What remains is an incredibly 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 selection of our top choices for revenge anthems and lesser-known tracks that revolve around the theme of murder, particularly targeting the 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 preferred song about eliminating your man.
Earl Had to Go: The Top 20 Country Songs About Taking Out Your Partner
Image Credits: Carena Liptak
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