The musical genre known as “murder ballads” originated from folk music, wherein the balladeer would sing of crime, murder, and mayhem, telling a tale of personal destruction, often with or without a moral attached to it. They’ve never really gone out of style; they’re still a fixture among folk and country singers, as well as popular non-folk types such as The Handsome Family and Nick Cave. Even Nirvana covered a famous murder ballad in their iconic Unplugged set.  

Author and artist Katy Horan’s Murder Ballads: Illustrated Lyrics & Lore is a gorgeously illustrated book that documents twenty well-known and not-so-well known murder ballads. The songs demonstrate the various forms of depravity found in murder ballads. You have the jealous lover (“In The Pines”), the woman scorned (“Frankie and Johnny”), the woman killed by a psychopathic lover (“Knoxville Girl”), and even the tale of doomed lesbian lovers. Each song is accompanied by in-depth notes, telling the history of where the song comes from and even the history that inspired the song, as well as lyrics to said song. 

Murder Ballads is a quick, fun read, one that gives you a good introduction to the murder ballad genre, and it provides a handy resource guide if you want to hear some of the interpretations that have been made over the past hundred years, or simply want to learn more. For a fun aside, we’ve listed five of our favorites songs included in the book. Enjoy!

Purchase: Amazon

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