"Earl Had to Die: The 20 Best Country Songs About Killing Your Man" focuses on the theme of murder ballads in classic country music. While these types of songs may be less common now, there are still many songs about men killing their female partners. Additionally, there are also songs about women killing their partners in country music, and this list showcases some of them.
We excluded some obvious choices for this list based on a few criteria. We only included one song per artist, so even though Carrie Underwood and Miranda Lambert have multiple songs about murder, they each only made it onto the list once. While songs like "Before He Cheats," "Church Bells," "White Liar," and "Kerosene" are all excellent revenge anthems, they were ultimately edged out by even more popular songs.
The theme was precise enough to limit the selection even more. In order for a murder song to be included, it had to involve a male victim, which disqualified Ashley McBryde's "Martha Divine" despite its quality. Other notable mentions were Willie Nelson's "Red Headed Stranger" and The SteelDrivers' "If It Hadn't Been for Love," but they also did not make the final list.
What remains is a collection of the most powerful and sinister songs in country music that focus on killing someone. Take a look at the list below to see our choices for the top revenge songs and lesser-known tracks about murder, particularly targeting a romantic partner. Keep reading, and don't forget to share in the comments if we overlooked your favorite song about getting rid of your significant other.
Earl Had to Die: A Collection of 20 Top Country Songs About Taking Matters Into Your Own Hands
Image Credit: Carena Liptak
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