Earl Had to Die: A Compilation of the Finest Country Songs Depicting the Act of Killing Your Partner
Homicidal ballads have long been a prominent feature in traditional country music. Although they may not be as widespread nowadays, there still exists a collection of exceptional songs that portray men murdering their female lovers. Conversely, while less common, country music also offers a substantial number of songs that narrate women taking the life of their significant others. We have compiled a list of these songs to substantiate this claim.
We eliminated certain contenders from this list based on a few criteria. Our main focus was to include only one song per artist, which resulted in Carrie Underwood and Miranda Lambert, who both have multiple murder songs in their music collections, only receiving one spot each. Despite songs like "Before He Cheats," "Church Bells," "White Liar," and "Kerosene" being great revenge anthems, they were ultimately excluded from the final selection due to other songs being even more popular and influential.
The topic was defined in a way that made it even more specific. In order for a murder to be included in this list, it had to involve at least one male victim. This means that Ashley McBryde's "Martha Divine," despite being a great modern murder song in the genre, was not included. Other noteworthy 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.
The remaining content is an extraordinary and wicked collection of the most powerful songs in country music that revolve around harming or killing someone. Take a look at the selection below to discover our top choices for revenge songs and lesser-known tracks that focus on 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 feel free to inform us in the comments if we overlooked your favorite song about getting rid of your man.
Earl Had to Perish: The Top 20 Country Songs About Taking Out Your Partner
Credit for the gallery: Carena Liptak
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