Killing me Softly: Music’s obsession with Murder Ballads

When I was about five my mother had a cassette tape she used to play in the car all the time. There was one particular song on this tape that we both used to sing, and to this day, I still remember the lyrics. That tape was Dúlamán (1975) by Clannad and the song was “Two Sisters.” Little did I know, my childhood memories of cheerful signing were all about a brutal murder. 

Two Sister’s lyrics lay out a story in which an older sister, jealous that the man she loves is getting married to her younger sister, throws her in a river to die. Her sister floats along, her body struggling against the tides until she washes up near a mill, and asks the miller for help. Her luck, however, continues to be foul and the miller steals her ring and kicks her back in to die. Only after she has drowned are both the miller and the elder sister executed, by hanging and boiling respectively. 

This song was my first brush and a classic example of the Murder Ballad–music’s most spooky and omnipresent song form. While “Two Sisters” is a “true” Murder Ballad, one of the early European folk songs that are traditionally considered as such, I believe that the Murder Ballad as a form is a much greater phenomenon. 

After “Two Sisters” I began to see Murder Ballads everywhere: corridos on the LA radio, metal and punk songs, and of course, in the country genre.

Country made sense; historically, the Murder Ballad was a prominent folk music trope. It was a way to mourn and explain or even create interest in what were sometimes actual murders. As the folk music of various countries—Russia, Ireland, and others—became included in American folk and country music, so did the Murder Ballad. 

Early country music’s themes of heartbreak, loss, and the struggle of poor people within America, as well as its interaction with the Blues, made Murder Ballads a natural segway. “Long Black Veil,” “Delia’s Gone” and “Where Did You Sleep Last Night” are classic country Murder Ballads. 

But look up Murder Ballad on Spotify and the first result you’re going to get is, of course, Nick Cave and the Bad Seed’s album of Murder Ballads, titled (what else), Murder Ballads (1996). This album, one of my personal favorites, highlights the incredible crossover capability of these gory, haunting, and often truly depressing songs. 

Featuring not only constant collaborator and fellow moody rock goth PJ Harvey but also the icon and pop star Kylie Minogue. This kind of collaboration between the two Australians, a punky Melbourne goth, and an actress/pop-star, show that Murder Ballads truly spread through genres and people. 

Fleetwood Mac, the Beastie Boys, and even Rihanna have all put out songs that can be described as Murder Ballads. The obsession with singing songs about murder seems to be kind of universal, across all genres.

While Pop uses the Murder Ballad form only occasionally, a large variety of Blues and Rap music use the Murder Ballad as a standard. The Blues combined the folk idea of the Murder Ballad with more specific connotations of racism and slavery in the U.S. 

Modern-day Rap—especially with the popularity in the 90s of gangster rap and the more recent inclusion of Horror Rap and other subgenres—includes the themes and narrative style of Murder Ballads in a wide array of songs. 

The Murder Ballad also crosses languages and cultures. Even “Two Sisters” in some live versions are in Gaelic and Dúlamán heavily incorporates Gaelic into its tracks. The corridos of Mexican and Mexican-American music are also often Murder Ballads, and to the north Russian folk songs include a couple of Murder Ballads. 

Across the board, whether in country, pop, folk, blues, or goth music, these songs are always creepy. Beyond describing the murder of someone, often in detail or first-person, they usually involve some sort of guilt or haunting as well. Across genres, cultures, and time, the Murder Ballad haunts music, reminding us all of the violence and spooky nature of death. 

Death is universal; it’s coming for us all eventually and of course, that is natural. What isn’t though is murder; it’s haunting, it’s vile, and yet it’s universal. Every culture, every nation, has its murders. 

Just as death is universal, perhaps haunting is too. It’s haunting, it’s tragically beautiful, it’s the reality of our existence: the Murder Ballad is one of music’s most wide-reaching and dark pre-occupations. 

Written by Xia Jimenez