Earl Had to Die: 20 Country Songs That Focus on Killing Your Partner
Murder ballads have always been a prominent theme in traditional country music. While they may not be as common in today's music, there are still many great songs about men killing their female partners. On the other hand, songs about women who commit murder are not as abundant, but there are still plenty of them in the country music genre. We have compiled a list of these songs for you to explore.
Several factors eliminated certain top choices for this list. We decided to only include one song from each artist, so popular country singers Carrie Underwood and Miranda Lambert, who have multiple songs about revenge in their discographies, each only made it onto the list once. Hits like "Before He Cheats," "Church Bells," "White Liar," and "Kerosene" are all excellent examples of revenge-themed songs, but they were overshadowed by even more popular songs that took their place on the final list.
The theme was very focused and only included murders with male victims. This meant that songs like Ashley McBryde's "Martha Divine" didn't qualify, even though it is considered one of the best modern murder songs in the genre. 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 the list due to the specific criteria.
What remains is a collection of the most powerful and sinister songs in country music that talk about killing someone. Take a look at our selected songs that focus on seeking revenge and consider the deeper tracks that touch on the topic of murder, particularly killing a man in your life or persuading someone else to do it. Keep reading and share your favorite songs about getting rid of your man in the comments.
Earl Must Go: A Collection of 20 Top Country Songs About Getting Rid of Your Partner
Credit for Images: Carena Liptak
Additional content available on Taste of Country
Details
Stay connected with us on social