15 Chilling Murder Ballads | Playlist 🎧

15 Chilling Murder Ballads features music courtesy of Aerosmith, Bruce Springsteen, Carrie Underwood, Eminem, SZA, and Taylor Swift.

Ah, the murder ballad – what a dark but captivating, intriguing type of song! Murder ballads describe a murder of some sort – what prefaces it as well as the aftermath.  The definition has been blurred, and such ballads date back hundreds of years. That said, for the purposes of our playlist, 15 Chilling Murder Ballads, we keep things simple – and still, murderous. 15 Chilling Murder Ballads features music courtesy of Aerosmith, Bruce Springsteen, Carrie Underwood, Eminem, SZA, and Taylor Swift among others.  So, without further ado, prepare yourself for a dark, deranged mindset on 15 Chilling Murder Ballads!

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1. SZA, “Kill Bill”  

SOS / “Kill Bill (Remix)” // Top Dawg Entertainment / RCA // 2023    

“I might kill my ex, not the best idea,” Grammy-winning R&B singer/songwriter SZA (Solana Rowe) asserts on “Kill Bill”, one of the best songs from her critically acclaimed sophomore LP, SOS.  In the record, she sings gorgeously despite being pissed off.  In the first verse of the original, she asserts, “I’m still a fan even though I was salty / Hate to see you with some other broad, know you happy / Hate to see you happy if I’m not the one drivin’.” Like the Quentin Tarantino films she references, she’s angry at her ex, eventually confirming she kills him and his new girlfriend.    

Ultimately, her love pain, and violence, is our listening pleasure, accentuated even more on “Kill Bill (Remix)” featuring fellow Grammy winner, Doja Cat.  Doja appears at the beginning of the remix, replacing the original verse by SZA.  It is colorful, painting a violent picture, because of her ex-boyfriend being a dick.  Doja ends up going to his new house, the new girlfriend is angry, and ultimately, after the new girlfriend charges at Doja, she shoots her.  Memorably, she closes the verse with a bang: “Y’all crisscrossed, saw her fall to the floor / Then you paused there in horror, that shot wasn’t for her.”  From there, we get the rest of the original “Kill Bill,” beginning with the unforgettable, ex-killing chorus, and second verse by SZA (“I try to ration with you, no murders, no crime of passion / But, damn, you was out of reach”). “Kill Bill” is a stellar track.

   

Appears in 🔻:   

• Awesome Songs: April 2023   
• Best Songs of 2023 (So Far) 
• 13 Compelling Songs About Specific People (2023)  
• 15 Electrifying Songs That Utterly KILL It (2023) 
• 51 Best Songs of 2023 

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2. Bruce Springsteen, “Nebraska” 

Nebraska // Bruce Springsteen // 1982 

One of the most notable albums in the Bruce Springsteen discography is Nebraska, released in 1982.  As Ian Couch writes for The New Yorker in article “The Original Wrecking Ball: Bruce Springsteen’s ‘Nebraska’”, it was unique, thanks to its share of dark material being told from a first-person perspective. “Nebraska,” the title track, tackles 19-year-old spree killer, Charles Starkweather, who murdered 11 people.

“I saw her standing on her front lawn just twirling her baton  

Me and her went for a ride, sir, and ten innocent people died  

From the town of Lincoln, Nebraska, with a sawed-off .410 on my lap   

Through to the badlands of Wyoming I killed everything in my path.”    

Starkweather had an accomplice, his girlfriend, Caril Ann Fugate, who was just 14. Ultimately, for his crimes, which took place in Wisconsin and Nebraska, Starkweather went to the electric chair. “The jury brought in a guilty verdict and the judge he sentenced me to death,” Springsteen sings, continuing, “Midnight in a prison storeroom with leather straps across my chest.”   

Appears in 🔻:  

• Songs About Mass Murderers, Vol. 1 (2017) 
• 50 Songs About the 50 States (2018)  
• 33 Great, If Disturbing Songs About Serial Killers (2018)  
• An Unorthodox Soundtrack to the United States (2020)  
• The Midwest Region: Deconstructed (2020)  
• Mass Murder Songs: A Disturbing Compendium (2021)  

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3. Taylor Swift, “no body, no crime” (Ft. HAIM)  

evermore // Taylor Swift // 2020

“He did it / He did it.” Who, Taylor Swift, who? The Grammy-winning superstar is joined by Grammy-nominated sister collective, HAIM, on the gem, “no body, no crime.” “No body, no crime” has a strong case as the very best record of Swift’s second surprise album of 2020, evermore. All parties feel totally locked in – totally in their element.  From the jump, with HAIM’s assertion, “He did it,” “No body, no crime” feels totally elite.  Swift confirms the elite nature of this minor-key, criminal cut in the first verse (“Her husband’s actin’ different, and it smells like infidelity”). The centerpiece of “No body, no crime” is the chorus.  Here, Swift and HAIM masterfully join forces: 

“She says, ‘I think he did it, but I just can’t prove it’  

I think he did it, but I just can’t prove it  

… No, no body, no crime  

But I ain’t lettin’ up until the day I die.”   

Appears in 🔻:   

• Crime: 5ive Songs No. 42 (2021)  
• 13 Songs Associated with the Body, Vol. 2 (2022)  

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4. The Killers, “Jenny Was a Friend of Mine”  

Hot Fuss // Island // 2004

“Jenny Was a Friend of Mine” hails from The Killers’ fabulous 2004 debut album, Hot Fuss.  Hot Fuss ranks among the best alternative albums of the 00s.  Perhaps “Mr. Brightside” and “Somebody Told Me” gets the most love, but “Jenny Was a Friend of Mine” is awesome too! Also, the backstory – something else!   

A name you need to know: Robert Chambers.  Who? Well, Mr. Chambers was a deplorable individual – a murderer. Chambers killed an 18-year-old girl named Jennifer Levin.  The Killers’ song, “Jenny Was a Friend of Mine,” is about the aftermath of the murder. In the chorus, front man Brandon Flowers, posed as the killer, sings:   

“Tell me what you wanna know  

Oh, come on, oh, come on, oh, come on  

There ain’t no motive for this crime  

Jenny was a friend of mine…”    

Appears in 🔻:  

• Mine: 5ive Songs No. 93 (2021) 

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5. Carrie Underwood, “Two Black Cadillacs”  

Blown Away // 19 Recordings Limited / Sony // 2012

“And the preacher said he was a good man / And his brother said he was a good friend / But the women in the two black veils didn’t bother to cry…” Grammy-winning country singer Carrie Underwood is at her best when she’s able to exhibit ‘that attitude.’ “Two Black Cadillacs” ranks among the crème de la crème of her catalog.  The narrative-driven number appears as the third track on her fourth studio album, Blown Away (2012). From the onset, “Two Black Cadillacs” sounds magical, instantly engaging the listener. There is a mysteriousness and sketchiness about the production, which sets the tone before Underwood sings a note. There is a clearly defined rhythmic groove, but it’s understated. The narrative of is superb with Underwood setting things up perfectly the first verse: “Two black Cadillacs driving in a slow parade… / One is for his wife / The other for the woman who loved him at night / Two black Cadillacs meeting for the first time.”   

Later, the second verse expounds upon what went down – “His wife called the number on his phone / Turns out he’d been lying to the both of them for oh so long…” Of course, in the bridge, it’s clear the women secretly conspired, “Shared a crimson smile and just walked away / And left the secret at the grave.” Regardless, the centerpiece is the chorus, excerpted at the beginning of the blurb. It continues, depicting the feelings of the two women: “…Yeah, they took turns laying a rose down / Threw a handful of dirt into the deep ground / He’s not the only one who had a secret to hide / Bye bye, bye bye, bye bye.”   

  

Appears in 🔻:   

• 11 Incredibly Intriguing, Totally Black Songs (2019)   
• 10 Absolutely Alluring Songs About Cars (2020)   
• Elements of Art, Illustrated Via Song (2020)   
• 13 Songs Where the Focus is TWO (2021)  

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6. Aerosmith, “Janie’s Got a Gun” 

Pump // Geffen // 1989 

“Now that Janie’s got a gun / She ain’t never gonna be the same.” What a statement Steven Tyler and Aerosmith make on “Janie’s Got a Gun”.  “Janie’s Got a Gun” appears as the fifth track on the band’s 1989 LP, Pump.  A hit single, it peaked at no. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1990. Not only was it successful on the charts, but it also earned Aerosmith one of its four Grammys, for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal. “Janie’s Got a Gun” was written by Tyler and Tom Hamilton. The late Bruce Fairbairn produced the gem which benefits from rocking production and a bright, exuberant sound.

 

It’s surprising that “Janie’s Got a Gun” does sound bright – the content is dark! What isn’t surprising is the fact that we get high-flying, rousing vocals by Steven Tyler.  That, of course, is the expectation from the iconic, gifted front man.  The songwriting, coupled with the tuneful melodies, make “Janie’s Got a Gun” the ‘sugar honey iced tea.’ “They say when Janie was arrested / They found him underneath the train,” Tyler sings in the second verse. He adds, “But man, he had it comin’ / Now that Janie’s got a gun / She ain’t never gonna be the same.”  So, how and why did he have it comin’? Well, her daddy “Jacked a little bitty baby /… They say the spell that he was under / The lightening and the thunder / Knew that someone had to stop the rain.” Controversial justice, right? Of course, Tyler fills us in on how things went down with Janie: “She had to take him down easy / And put a bullet in his brain / She said, ‘cause nobody believe me / The man was such a sleaze / He ain’t never gonna be the same.”  Facts – he’s dead! “Janie’s Got a Gun” is one of the best rock songs of the late 80s and early 90s – a tour de force by Aerosmith.  

Appears in 🔻:  

• Aerosmith, Janie’s Got a Gun: Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶 No. 54 (2024) 

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7. HARDY, “wait in the truck” (Ft. Lainey Wilson)  

the mockingbird & THE CROW // Big Loud / Big Loud Rock // 2023   

HARDY and Lainey Wilson make sweet music together on “wait in the truck,” one of the best songs from HARDY’s 2023 double album, the mockingbird & THE CROW.  The twang is elevated to the nth degree.  Also elevated is the songwriting. “Well, she was bruised and broke from head to toe / With a tear in her blood-stained shirt,” HARDY sings in the second verse, adding, “She didn’t tell me the whole truth, but she didn’t have to / I knew what happened to her.” There is abuse at the hands of another man in play, something that Wilson sings about in the chorus.  Characterizing HARDY (or his character, rather) as an angel, she asserts, “He was hellbent to find the man behind / All the whiskey scars I hid / I never thought my day of justice / Would come from a judge under his seat…” Intriguing that an angel with a piece (aka gun) can be hellish… hence why “wait in the truck” graces this weapon-fueled musical compendium!  The choir is a phenomenal addition to “wait in the truck,” adding some gospel vibes as both HARDY and Lainey state, “Have mercy on me.” 

 

Appears in 🔻:  

• 11 Heavy Duty Songs About Trucks (2023) 

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8. Eminem, “Stan” (Ft. Dido) 

The Marshall Mathers LP // Interscope // 2000

Controversy and Academy and Grammy award-winning rapper Eminem (Marshall Mathers) are synonymous. His approach is edgy, pushing the envelope over the mountain, essentially. Among his many controversial songs is “Stan” from his legendary 2000 album, The Marshall Mathers LP.  The song and subject matter created a brand-new word, stan (an extremely or excessively enthusiastic and devoted fan). Stanley, the “stan” from the song, exemplifies the dangerous, over-devoted fan. Three out of four verses find Em rapping from Stan’s perspective.  In the first verse, we get a picture of how obsessed he is, connecting with the rapper on a much deeper level than fans/musicians generally connect.  Stan writes a letter to Eminem, hoping he’ll respond back to him. Notably, he mentions his pregnant girlfriend, with whom he has a suspect relationship with. By the second verse, Stan still hasn’t received a response and becomes more upset, taken with the rapper in a fanatical sense.  By the third, the most memorable from Stan’s perspective, things have gone totally off-the-rail.  He’s angry with Eminem, addressing him as “Dear Mr. I’m-Too-Good-to-Call-or-Write-My-Fans,” and asserting, “This’ll be the last package I ever send your ass.” He goes on to depict risky behavior, including “Doin’ 90 on the freeway” and “drinking a fifth of vodka.”  Expectedly, things don’t end well for Stan.  Eminem finally responds on the fourth and final verse, rapping as himself for the first time.  He encourages Stan to get help, but realizes by the end, Stan is dead.    

So, where does the controversy come in?  In the fourth verse, Eminem came off as homophobic to some, namely GLAAD: “And what’s this shit about us meant to be together / That type of shit’ll make me not want us to meet each other.” Without context, or unintentionally, this line could be viewed homophobically because Stan is so taken with Eminem, it sounds gay to the rapper – something he disapproves.  Furthermore, given Mathers’ explicitness throughout his career, would it be far-fetched if he went to take a jab at the LGBTQ 🏳️‍🌈 here? Nope, because GLAAD wasn’t merely mad at him about “Stan.” In this case, however, the homophobic claims seem like a stretch. Stan is an obsessive person with mental issues, hence why Eminem might take pause in meeting him because he’s unstable. Of course, Elton John, an openly gay musical icon, who performed “Stan” with the rapper live, had no issues with the lyrics.  The music video for “Stan” is disturbing too (the Eminem shrine alone).  A creepy Devon Sawa and Dido are the actors in this tale where Sawa goes off the deep end obsessed with Eminem.  Dido’s 1999 song, “Thank You” is sampled.  It ends up being the perfect match for this record.    

“My tea’s gone cold, I’m wondering why I   

Got out of bed at all   

The morning rain clouds up my window   

And I can’t see at all   

And even if I could it’d all be gray   

But your picture on my wall   

It reminds me that it’s not so bad, it’s not so bad.”   

All told, a book could be written regarding “Stan”, one of the best songs of the Eminem catalog.   

Appears in 🔻:   

• Eminem, Stan: Controversial Tunes 😈🎶 No. 7 (2022)  
• 13 Unapologetic, Controversial Tunes, Vol. 2 (2023)

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9. Madonna, “Gang Bang” 

MDNA // Boy Toy, Inc.  // 2012 

“I thought it was you, and I loved you the most / But I was just keeping my enemies close.” Word! “Gang Bang” appears as the second track on MDNA, the 2012, 12th studio album by musical icon, Madonna. She produced the track alongside Demolition Crew and William Orbit.  “Gang Bang” features an enigmatic, foreboding, dance backdrop. The thudding beat is intense. Furthermore, the rhythmic nature of the synths is a big selling point. Madonna sings with poise for most of the song but is potent to the nth degree. Additionally, she is effective with her use of whispering (“Bang, bang, shot you dead / In the head”). As the song progresses, the production grows fuller and more dynamic. Notably, and unsurprisingly given the era, there is a dubstep, breakdown section. 

The lyrics throughout the course of “Gang Bang” are hellish, embracing the murder ballad through and through. The chorus is dark yet infectious with Madge singing, “Bang bang, shot you dead, shot my lover in the head / Bang bang, shot you dead and I have no regrets.” The most memorable section of “Gang Bang” not named the chorus is the bridge: 

“And I’m going straight to hell 

And I got a lot of friends there 

And if I see that bitch in hell  

I’m gonna shoot him in the head again  

‘Cause I want to see him die 

Over, and over, and over, and over  

And over, and over, and over, and over 

Now drive, bitch!” 

Madonna is one of a kind – an understatement.  No, MDNA isn’t her most memorable album, especially considering her output early on in her career, but “Gang Bang” is a surefire winner.  

Appears in 🔻:  

• Madonna, Gang Bang: Bangerz N Bopz 🔥 No. 29 (2024) 

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10. Catherine Zeta-Jones, Susan Misner, Deidre Goodwin, Denise Faye, Ekaterina Chtchelkanova, Mya Harrison & Taye Diggs, “Cell Block Tango” 

Chicago (Music from the Miramax Motion Picture) // Sony Music Entertainment Inc. // 2002 

“Pop / Six / Squish / Uh-uh / Cicero / Lipschitz.” And so, begins one of the best musical numbers of them all, “Cell Block Tango”.  Following the first iteration of those memorable, recurrent lyrics from the seven-minute-plus, fourth track from the Chicago motion picture soundtrack, the emcee introduces the performers: “And now, the six merry murderesses of the Cook County Jail in their rendition of the Cell Block Tango.” Performing the beloved Fred Ebb and John Kander-penned gem are Academy Award winning actress Catherine Zeta-Jones, Susan Misner, Deidre Goodwin, Denise Faye, Ekaterina Chtchelkanova, Mya Harrison, and Taye Diggs.   

The excerpted lyrics correspond to why the murderesses murdered. The commonality between them all is the infectious chorus: 

“He had it coming 

He had it coming 

He only had himself to blame 

If you’d have been there 

If you’d have seen it 

I betcha you would have done the same.”

Throughout the course of this lengthy murder ballad, the women explain what happened in detail.  Liz (Susan Misner), for example, got sick of her husband popping his gum: “So, I took the shotgun off the wall, and I fired two warning shots… into his head.” Damn! Annie (Denise Faye) found out Ezekiel wasn’t single: “He had six wives.  One of those Mormons… So that night when he came home from work, I fixed him his drink, as usual. You know some guys just can’t hold their arsenic.”  It doesn’t stop there.  June’s (Deidre Goodwin) husband ran into her knife. Katalin Helinszki nicknamed Hunyak (Ekaterina Chtchelkanova) is innocent, but they didn’t understand her (she speaks Hungarian). Velma Kelly (Zeta-Jones) kills her sister and husband for cheating on her. As for Mona (Mya Harrison), of her cheating husband, Al Lipschitz, “He saw himself as alive… and I saw him dead.” “Cell Block Tango” is, and will forever be, one of the great tour de forces from a musical. #ICONIC! 

 Appears in 🔻:  

• Catherine Zeta-Jones, Cell Block Tango: Bangerz N Bopz 🔥 No. 28 (2024) 

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11. The Chicks, “Goodbye Earl” 

Fly // Columbia // 1999 

“Earl had to die / Goodbye, Earl / Those black-eyed peas / They tasted all right to me, Earl.” This seems like the opportune time to double down on the fact that two wrongs DO make a right, so, let’s controversially consult ‘the good book’ for context in the controversial The Chicks classic, “Goodbye Earl”! The Bible says, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, so, it feels totally right that Natalie Maines and company atoned for abuse with the murder of the scum of the earth. HELL yeah, with emphasis on the HELL part.  Honestly, the excerpted lyrics from the chorus tell you why this gem from their 1999 album, Fly, is deemed as one of the most controversial songs of all time.    

To be fair, The Chicks did NOT write the song or originally perform it.  Blame songwriter Dennis Linde for the controversy, dang it! Linde is to blame for penning an anti-abuse anthem that found the abused (Wanda), and her friend (Mary Ann), murdering the abuser (Earl)! “You’re feeling weak / Why don’t you lay down and sleep, Earl,” Maines continues singing in the chorus, adding, “Ain’t it dark / Wrapped up in that tarp, Earl?” Again, what more can you say but, damn! Anyways, Linde wrote this anthem, which finds Earl abusing Wanda in the second verse, including Earl “Walked right through that restraining order / And put her in intensive care.” Originally, the song was recorded by Sons of the Desert but the album was never released – a whole mess.  Naturally, the message of “Goodbye Earl” is mixed, hence why it aroused the controversy it did.  It is probably best to look at this fictional song as tongue-in-cheek, however, there have been real life instances where someone was abused in some form or fashion, and they ultimately killed the abuser.  That said, it is still disturbing that “It turns out he [Earl] was a missing person / Who nobody missed at all.”    

Appears in 🔻:   

• The Chicks, Goodbye Earl: Controversial Tunes 😈🎶 No. 23 (2022)  
• 13 Unapologetic, Controversial Tunes, Vol. 3 (2023) 

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12. Boomtown Rats, “I Don’t Like Mondays” 

The Fine Art of Surfacing // Mercury // 1979

“Tell me why / I don’t like Mondays / I wanna shoot the whole day down.” Mondays tend to be an unpopular day, but in the case of “I Don’t Like Mondays”, the hatred is far more pronounced.  Irish rock band The Boomtown Rats wrote and recorded a song that references the Grover Cleveland Elementary School shooting. Infamously, 16-year-old Brenda Spencer, who truly didn’t like Mondays, killed two adults and injured eight children with a .22 caliber semiautomatic rifle at the elementary across from her house 😢. A worldwide hit from their 1979 album, The Fine Art of Surfacing, the song marks the only charting single by The Boomtown Rats on the Billboard Hot 100. Notably, “I Don’t Like Mondays” was a top five hit in many countries, including hitting no. 1 in Ireland, Australia, and the UK. In the United States, it settled for no. 73.  

“The silicon chip inside her head / Gets switched to overload / And nobody’s gonna go to school today / She’s gonna make them stay at home.” Those lyrics, from the first verse of “I Don’t Like Mondays”,  capture an unhinged person, in this case, a delusional mass murderer. In the first verse, Bob Geldof captures the shock of Brenda’s father, asserting, “And daddy doesn’t understand it / He always said she was good as gold.” This sometimes occurs in cases of mass murderers and serial killers where the parents didn’t see any signs, hence why “And mother feels so shocked, father’s world is rocked” (verse two).  The third verse is incredibly disturbing:     

“And all the playing’s stopped in the playground now   

She wants to play with the toys a while   

And school’s out early and soon we’ll be learning   

And the lesson is how to die.”     

Morbid, morbid, morbid. Beyond the songwriting, “I Don’t Like Mondays” is incredibly ear catching, thanks to its art pop/New Wave sound.  The piano and keyboard work is brilliant by Johnny Fingers.  Furthermore, the backing vocals only accentuate Geldof’s fabulous lead.  Also, shout out the marvelous strings/string arrangement.   

Appears in 🔻:    

• 12 More Songs About Mass Murderers (Vol. 3) (2018)   
• 15 Songs for the Days of the Week (2018)   
• 13 Unsettling Songs About Female Murderers (2019)   
• The Boomtown Rats, I Don’t Like Mondays: 1 Hit WONDERful 👏👏👏 No. 5 (2023)   
• 13 Songs Courtesy of Musicians from Ireland 🇮🇪 (2023)  

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13. The Cranberries, “I Just Shot John Lennon”  

To the Faithful Departed // Island // 1996

“It was the fearful night of December 8th / He was returning home from the studio late / He had perceptively known that it wouldn’t be nice,” The Cranberries’ late, dynamic front woman, Dolores O’Riordan sings on the murder ballad, “I Just Shot John Lennon.”  She continues singing on the highlight from the band’s 1996 LP, To the Faithful Departed, “Because in 1980, he paid the price / John Lennon died, John Lennon died, John Lennon died…” There’s fame and then there’s infamy.  Mark David Chapman, the assassin to musical icon John Lennon, exemplifies infamy.  O’Riordan imparts the tale of the tragedy, committed at the hand, rather the Smith and Wesson .38 gun of Chapman. 

“With a Smith and Wesson .38 
John Lennon’s life was no longer a debate 
He should have stayed at home 
He should have never cared 
And the man who took his life declared, he said: 
‘I Just Shot John Lennon!’  

… Oh a sad and sorry and sickening sight 
It was a sad and sorry and sickening night.” 

“I Just Shot John Lennon” was written by O’Riordan and Noel Hogan. It was produced by the band with late, Canadian producer, Bruce Fairbairn. It exemplifies a compelling murder ballad.   

Appears in 🔻:  

• 21 Songs Inspired by Assassins, Cult Leaders, and Murderers (2018) 

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14. The Smiths, “Suffer Little Children”  

The Smiths // Warner Music UK // 1984

“But fresh lilaced moorland fields / Cannot hide the stolid stench of death.” EERIE 😱! 🎵 “Suffer Little Children” is the penultimate track from The Smiths’ 1984 self-titled debut. The Smiths were an English band from 80s, led by Morrissey, who later continued his career as a solo artist.  “Suffer Little Children” references the infamous child murders (Moors murders) committed by Ian Brady (1938 – 2017) and Myra Hindley (1942 – 2002). Morrissey mentions the victims of Brady and Hindley by name. 

“Lesley-Anne, with your pretty white beads    

Oh John, you’ll never be a man     

And you’ll never see your home again    

Oh Manchester, so much to answer for    

Edward, see those alluring lights?    

Tonight, will be your very last night.”         

Creepy. Interestingly, Ian Brady is left out of the name dropping.  Myra Hindley, not so much. Historically, there seems to be greater hatred for Hindley, who, notably, died long before Brady:  “Hindley wakes and Hindley says / Hindley wakes, Hindley wakes, Hindley wakes, and says: / ‘Oh, wherever he has done, I have done.’”   

Appears in 🔻:    

• Songs That Reference Ian Brady & Myra Hindley (2019)   
• Mourning 😭: 3 to 5 BOPS No. 46 (2023)  
• 13 Songs Filled with Grief, Mourning & Remembrance (2023)  

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15. Vicki Lawrence, “The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia” 

The Night the Lights Went out in Georgia // GME LLC // 1973

“Well, he got mad, and he saw red / And Andy said, ‘Boy, don’t you lose your head / ‘Cause to tell the truth, I’ve been with her myself.’” Wow 😮! It gets much worse on “The Night the Lights Went out in Georgia”, the opening track from The Night the Lights Went out in Georgia, the 1973 debut album by Vicki Lawrence.  Lawrence is best known for her acting and comedy, particularly on The Carol Burnett Show and Mama’s Family.  That said, Lawrence reached the Billboard Hot 100 thrice. “The Night the Lights Went out in Georgia” was her sole top-40 hit.  How well did that top-40 hit perform? It reached no. 1! Woo-hoo!      

“That’s the night that the lights went out in Georgia,   

That’s the night that they hung an innocent man, uh-huh  

Well, don’t trust your soul to no backwoods, southern lawyer   

Cause the judge in the town’s got bloodstains on his hands.”    

A murder ballad, “The Night the Lights Went out in Georgia” was written by Grammy winner  Bobby Russell (1940 – 1992), who was her husband for a brief time.  Originally, the song, which Russell was reluctant about himself, was offered to Cher.  Her husband at the time, Sonny Bono, turned down the song because he believed it would upset her southern fans.  Lawrence would record this dark country tune with producer Snuff Garrett and make it a hit.  So, why exactly did the lights go out in Georgia? Well, an innocent man – the man who is cheated on, coincidently – was hung, while the guilty party, his sister (whom Vicki portrays in the song), walks free.  Ain’t that some shit? It’s a case of the wrong place at the wrong time and a suspect trial, etc.   

“Well, they hung my brother before I could say  

The tracks he saw while on his way  

To Andy’s house and back that night were mine   

And his cheating wife had never left town  

And that one’s body that’ll never be found  

See, little sister don’t miss when she aims her gun.”  

“The Night the Lights Went out in Georgia” is the perfect example that it takes only one great song to carve out a place in music history.  Vicki Lawrence outdid herself on this one.   

Appears in 🔻:   

• Vicki Lawrence, The Night the Lights Went out in Georgia: 1 Hit WONDERful 👏👏👏 No. 11 (2023)  
• 13 Songs Where GEORGIA is On the Mind (2024)  

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15 Chilling Murder Ballads (2024) [📷: Brent Faulkner / The Musical Hype; 19 Recordings Limited, Big Loud, Big Loud Rock, Boy Toy Inc., Bruce Springsteen, Columbia, Geffen, GME LLC, Interscope, Island, Mercury, Sony Music Entertainment Inc., Taylor Swift, Warner Music UK; Clker-Free-Vector-Images, Monika Grafik from Pixabay; Iluha Zavaley from Unsplash]

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