Not only is the alliteration kind of fun, Murder Monday seems appropriate, because who doesn’t want to murder Monday?
What are some of your favorite murder songs?
The murder came as a delicious surprise in the song that I’ve chosen as my first choice.
- Old Crow Medicine Show, “My Good Gal”
- Vince Gill, “Molly Brown”
- Johnny Cash, “Delia’s Gone”
- Willie Nelson, “Time of the Preacher”
- Gillian Welch, “Caleb Meyer”
You ask “who doesn’t want to murder Monday?” – Retirees.
1. Delbert McClinton – People Just Love to Talk
2. Suzy Bogguss – Banks of the Ohio
3. Kingston Trio – Tom Dooley
4. Chad Mitchell Trio – Lizzie Borden
5. Dixie Chicks – Goodbye Earl
Bob,
But you can relate to when Mondays were relevant?
1. Goodbye Earl-Dixie Chicks
2. Roses by the Dozen-Jamie Lin Wilson
3. Ballad of Treyvon Martin-Will Hoge
4. Bible By The Bed-Cadillac Sky
5. You’re Dead to Me-Dierks Bentley (a memory killed instead of a person, but great song)
1. Long Black Veil -Lefty Frizzell
2. Angola’s Lament -Sam Riggs & the Night People
3. The Night The Lights Went Out in Georgia -Reba
4. Crazy Eddie’s Last Hurrah -Reckless Kelly (also Cross Canadian Ragweed)
5. Cattleman’s Gun -Dean Brody
Honorable Mention:
False Accuser’s Lament -Jason Boland & the Stragglers (See #1)
1. Reba McEntire, “The Night The Lights Went Out in Georgia”
2. Carrie Underwood, “Two Black Cadillacs”
3. Johnny Horton, “When It’s Springtime in Alaska (It’s Forty Below)”
4. Alison Krauss, “Jacob’s Dream”
5. Miranda Lambert, “Gunpowder & Lead”
This is hard! There are far too many songs regarding death (MM: “Concrete Angel” & “Independence Day,” JMM: “The Little Girl,” “BP/AK: “Whiskey Lullaby”) that just don’t fit under this specific category.
I can’t really think of any that have not been mentioned other than one
A Night To Remember – SHeDaisy
Great suggestions from all! One of my favorite murder songs isn’t country, but I’ll still add it to the mix:
Nick Cave featuring Kylie Minogue – Where the Wild Roses Grow (from his album Murder Ballads)
Ah, a good old-fashioned Juli Thanki Special.
1. Rhonda Vincent – “In The Garden By The Fountain”
2. George Jones – “Radio Lover”
3. Porter Waggoner – “Cold Hard Facts of Life”
4. Conway Twitty – “Saturday Night Special”
5. Garth Brooks – “The Thunder Rolls”
@Leeann – Yes I can relate to when Mondays were relevant. Back then, Monday for me was the worst day of the week.
Another murder song: Danny “Good Time Charlie’s Got the Blues” O’Keefe had a song on his Breezy Stories album called “Drive On Driver”.
Thanks to Harriett Watkins for mentioning the “Ballad of Trayvon Martin”. I bought a Will Hoge album “Never Give In” not that long ago but didn’t know about the “Martin” song which I’ll buy on i-Tunes.
I don’t know how many of these will count, and only two of them can actually be considered truly country:
1. THE BALLAD OF BONNIE AND CLYDE–Georgie Fame and his Blue Flames (#7 US hit in 1968, inspired by, and released in the wake of, the classic film BONNIE AND CLYDE)
2. IN THE GHETTO–Elvis Presley (not sure about this one, but it is truly a tragic tale where a poor black boy is gunned down in cold blood in Chicago after stealing a car)
3. FOLSOM PRISON BLUES–Johnny Cash (wondering if it counts, but he did shoot a man in Reno, just to watch him die, which is why he’s in the state motel)
4. THE LEGEND OF BONNIE AND CLYDE–Merle Haggard
5. DOOLIN’ DALTON/DESPERADO (REPRISE)–The Eagles
Tanya- Blood Red And Going Down
Reba-Bobby
Reba- Maggie Creek Road
Garth- Papa Loved Mama
Dolly- Banks of The Ohio
I just thought of another one, which is more along the lines of consequences of the act and not the act itself, but I think it still works
Eric Church – Lightning
What have we missed?
How bout…
Willie Nelson – Red Headed Stranger
Johnny Cash – Kate
Dwight Yoakam – Buenas Noches From A Lonely Room (She Wore Red Dresses)
Johnny Cash – I Drove Her Out Of My Mind
Reba McEntire – The Night the Lights Went Out In Georgia
Johnny Cash – Don’t Take Your Guns To Town
Tim McGraw – “Between The River And Me”
Most of the great ones have already been mentioned, but I’ll add “L.A. County” by Lyle Lovett to the pile. Combine the lyric with the upbeat music, singalong chorus and Lovett’s matter-of-fact delivery, and it’s a downright chilling little song.
Yes, a lot of murder songs have the most sprightly melodies, especially in bluegrass.:)
1.Murder On Music Row ….George Strait/ Alan Jackson
2. Ode To Billy Joe ….Bobby Gentry
3. Goodbye Earl….Chicks
4. Banks of the Ohio ,,( trad )
5. Folsom Prison Blues….John Cash
Long Black Veil
Knoxville Girl
Jeannie Needs a Shooter
Don’t Take Your Guns to Town
Excitable Boy
Would “My Name Is Emmett Till” by Emmylou Harris count?
A “best of” murder songs post with no mention of Chris Knight, the modern king of the country murder ballad? Here are his top five murder songs:
1. “Down the River”
2. “Rita’s Only Fault”
3. “Becky’s Bible”
4. “Framed”
5. “Long Black Highway”
Honorable mention to “Love and a .45,” where I’ve never been able to tell if a murder was actually committed, and “William,” which is about a killing that seems to be justified.
1. Between the River and Me – Tim McGraw
2. The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia – Reba
3. The Thunder Rolls – Garth Brooks
4.Looking Back Now – Maggie Rose
5. Three Chain Road – Lee Kernaghan
Live Oak-Jason Isbell
When You Leave That Way You Can Never Go Back-Confederate RR
Blackbirds-Gretchen Peters
Pretty Polly-Ralph Stanley
Revenge-Chuck Cannon
I’d also mention Murder on Music Row about the malicious killing of a beautiful art form.
RCB,
This is not meant to be a Best Of list, just five favorites, which is also hardly an exhaustive list.
Not a country song, but does anyone remember ‘Hazard’ by Richard Marx from the 90s?
Ha, Caj, I was thinking of that song the whole time I was choosing the songs for this post.
Struggled with this one!
1. Martina McBride, “Independence Day”
2. Dixie Chicks, “Goodbye Earl”
3. Reba McEntire, “Bobby”
4. Tim McGraw, “Between the River and Me”
5. Kathy Mattea, “There Were Roses”
I might argue that “Concrete Angel” fits better than “Bobby,” as the former was about an out-and-out murder where the latter arguably involved a mercy killing — although I suppose that’s a whole different debate…
(Great choice though, Kevin. I’ve always loved that song.)
Leeann, that’s so funny about ‘Hazard’. Great minds think alike.