Earl Had to Die: A Compilation of Country Songs That Tell Stories of Killing Your Partner
Murder ballads have always been a prominent feature in classic country music. Although they are not as common in today's music scene, there is still a collection of great songs that depict men killing their female partners. While songs about women killing their partners are less common, they do exist in the country music genre, and we have a list of them to share.
Some parameters were used to narrow down the options for this list. The focus was on selecting only one song from each artist, which meant that popular country singers Carrie Underwood and Miranda Lambert, who have multiple songs about murder in their discographies, were only able to have one song included. While songs like "Before He Cheats," "Church Bells," "White Liar," and "Kerosene" are all strong revenge anthems, they were ultimately edged out by even more popular songs.
The theme was particular enough to further limit the selection. In order for a murder song to be included on the list, it needed to involve at least one male victim, which meant Ashley McBryde's "Martha Divine" didn't qualify, even though it is considered one of the best modern murder songs in the genre. Other songs like Willie Nelson's "Red Headed Stranger" and The SteelDrivers' "If It Hadn't Been for Love" were also worthy of mention, but they ultimately did not make the final list.
Discover a collection of the most powerful and sinister songs in country music that focus on seeking revenge by killing a man. View our selections for the top revenge tracks and hidden gems centered around the theme of murder, particularly targeting the man in your life or persuading someone else to do it. Feel free to share your favorite song about getting rid of your man in the comments below after reading on.
Earl Had to Die: A Collection of 20 Top Country Songs Depicting Killing Your Partner
Credit to: Carena Liptak
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