There’s a trail of dead bodies in the centuries worth of works songwriters have left behind: tales of countless victims who were drowned, stabbed, bludgeoned, and poisoned, set to music and passed on through the years via memorable sing-alongs. These murder ballads, an oral tradition with its roots in a number of European countries, proved so popular, they migrated across countries. England’s “Hanged I Shall Be” morphed into “The Wexford Girl” in Ireland, which turned into “The Knoxville Girl” in the United States.
A common theme among murder ballads, including those mentioned above, is that they are very often populated by women who, come song’s end, are no longer breathing. Adding another macabre layer to an already grisly genre, these songs are sometimes inspired by real life events. To put it simply, today’s abundance of true crime podcasts is certainly not the first time humans have proven themselves intrigued by blood-soaked folklore.
For Part I of the Headless Crow’s murder ballad series, we’ll shift away from the usual lyrical content and instead focus on songs specifically sung by female voices. In the songs below, it’s the women who are trigger-happy and the men who are dropping like flies.
Hurray for the Riff Raff – “The Body Electric”
Our jumping off point isn’t a typical murder ballad like those that will follow, but rather the song that inspired this article in the first place. Written, produced and sung by frontwoman Alynda Segarra, Hurray for the Riff Raff’s “The Body Electric” is a powerful contemplation on the history of real life crimes against women being turned into entertainment: written, performed, and covered through generations “while the whole world sings” along. Striking images throughout the song’s music video intensify the message even further: what appears to be a baby in the arms of a woman is in fact hundreds of bullet casings, cradled adoringly. Deservingly described as NPR’s Political Folk Song of the Year in 2014, it’s a thoughtful way to kick things off before we launch headlong into gleeful murder.
Ella Fitzgerald – “To Keep My Love Alive”
Speaking of gleeful murder, nobody in these songs is having more fun disclosing their nefarious deeds than Ella Fitzgerald is on “To Keep My Love Alive.” Originally composed for the 1943 Broadway revival of the musical A Connecticut Yankee, she covered the song over a decade later for her record Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Rodgers & Hart Song Book. Though shortened for the album (there’s twice as many dead husbands in the theatrical version), that still gives her three and a half minutes to reel off an extensive list of murdered men and her imaginative methods for offing them. Who knew serial killing could be so charmingly whimsical?
Bessie Smith – “Send Me to the ‘Lectric Chair”
Released in the late 1920s, Bessie Smith’s “Send Me to the ‘Lectric Chair” features some of the most giddily gruesome lyrics you’ll find here. Describing in vivid detail what she did to her man after catching him cheating, she implores the judge to sentence her to death because she’s ready to “take a journey to the devil down below.” Understandably covered dozens of times since its debut a century ago, it’s a wickedly jaw-dropping addition to any murder-themed playlist.
Wanda Jackson – “The Box It Came In”
A hit single for country star Wanda Jackson, “The Box It Came In” busts out of the heartbreak ballad mold with one sinister line. After being abandoned and left destitute by the husband who “took everything with him that wasn’t nailed down,” she fantasizes about committing the ultimate revenge. For a woman who spends most of the song mournful, she sure finds some, ahem, killer closure.
Bonnie Dobson – “Winter’s Going”
The closing track on her self-titled 1969 record, Canadian folk artist Bonnie Dobson’s “Winter’s Going” is a vindictive masterpiece. Distraught over being deserted, while pregnant no less, she plots her retribution. Unnervingly calm at first, the track’s unhinged psychedelia escalates to an eye-popping crescendo. “Jarvis Cocker liked that song,” she would later say. “He seemed a nice boy otherwise.”
Rachel Brooke – “The Barnyard”
Don’t let the deceptively sweet sound fool you: something incredibly dark lurks behind that carefree delivery. “The Barnyard,” the 6-minute opening cut from Rachel Brooke’s 2011 release Down in the Barnyard, begins innocently with the exhilaration of new love. But things unravel quickly when a kiss inadvertently reveals infidelity, and before long there’s a hammer, a gun, two dead bodies, and a psychiatric hospital sentence.
The Andrews Sisters – “I Didn’t Know the Gun Was Loaded”
A song with several renditions released over the years, The Andrews Sisters recorded a particularly noteworthy version of “I Didn’t Know the Gun Was Loaded.” Published in 1949, this catchy ditty follows a woman whose empty gun has a peculiar tendency of firing bullets into people. By song’s end, the tables have turned and the conveniently ditsy murderess receives some ironic comeuppance.
Reba McEntire – “The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia”
“The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia” has been covered repeatedly over the years, but none have made it more thrilling than Reba McEntire when she recorded it for her 1991 album For My Broken Heart. Its suspenseful storytelling is jam-packed with drama: a two-timing spouse, a crooked justice system, an innocent hanged for a crime they didn’t commit, and a twist ending reveal where we find out exactly who pulled the trigger.
The Chicks – “Goodbye Earl”
Perhaps the most joyful of all the songs here, The Chicks’ “Goodbye Earl” is a devilishly good time. After a restraining order fails to protect her from her abusive husband, a woman and her best friend come up with a solution for finally ridding themselves of him: “Earl had to die.” The darkly comedic, star-studded music video, complete with clumsy corpse flinging and celebratory dancing (including from a deceased Earl himself), helps drive home the point that “he was a missing person who nobody missed at all.” It was the first of the Chicks’ singles to not reach the top 10 on country radio, when some stations balked at playing the song. Lead singer Natalie Maines came to a blunt conclusion: “We always figured whoever was complaining must be beating their wife.”
Meiko – “Maybe Next Year (X-Mas Song)”
“I don’t think Santa’s coming this year” Meiko announces stoically at the beginning of “Maybe Next Year (X-Mas Song),” nary a hint of emotion in her voice to suggest that what’s she just said is quite the understatement. While gradually revealing the magnitude of the actions that surely earned her a place on the naughty list, what began as remorseless resignation builds to impassioned indignation before she comes to an unconvincing conclusion: “Maybe next year I’ll be better.” Maybe.
To listen to these and more woman-sung murder ballads, stream my Settling the Score: Murder Ballads by Women playlist on Spotify.
