Crime Killer Song Free Download
Shanae Maerz
I was listening to my old band's first LP (which features a song about Albert Fish and another about Ted Bundy) and got to wondering, what are some of your favorite songs with lyrical content pertaining to serial killers/true crime?
"No Body, No Crime" (stylized in all lowercase) is a song written and recorded by American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift for her ninth studio album Evermore (2020). Featuring vocals from American band Haim, it was released to US country radio by Republic Records and MCA Nashville on January 11, 2021, as a single from the album.
Produced by Swift and Aaron Dessner, "No Body, No Crime" has a country production, combining a pure western composition with the country rock and pop rock genres Swift has been known for. A murder ballad, it has noir-inspired lyrics about a fictional character named Este, who is killed by her husband after she discovers his infidelity. Unable to prove the husband guilty, the song's narrator, a friend of Este, avenges her friend's death by murdering the husband, erases key evidences, and indirectly frames the mistress, who herself suspects the narrator. The central character is named after Este Haim, the band's bass player.
"No Body, No Crime" marks the first collaboration between Swift and Haim. The song was written by Swift on a rubber-bridge guitar. She forwarded her voice memo of the song to Aaron Dessner, her Evermore producer, who developed the song's instrumentation. Swift had specific ideas on how she wanted the song to feel, including Haim's vocals on the song. The Haim sisters recorded at engineer Ariel Rechtshaid's Los Angeles home studio, and sent it to Swift, who was at Dessner's Long Pond studio, filming Folklore: The Long Pond Studio Sessions (2020). The harmonica and guitar riffs on the song were provided by Josh Kaufman, who also played the harmonica on "Betty" (2020), the fourteenth track on Folklore. JT Bates played the drums on "No Body, No Crime", who also contributed the drums on "Dorothea", eighth track on Evermore.[1]
On December 10, 2020, Swift revealed the track listing of Evermore, where "No Body, No Crime" placed sixth; the album was released on December 11, 2020. MCA Nashville released "No Body, No Crime" to United States country radio stations on January 11, 2021.[2] In an interview to Entertainment Weekly, Swift said working with Haim "was pretty hilarious because it came about after I wrote a pretty dark murder mystery song and had named the character Este, because she's the friend I have who would be stoked to be in a song like that" and added that she "had finished the song and was nailing down some lyric details and texted [Este Haim], 'You're not going to understand this text for a few days but... which chain restaurant do you like best?' and I named a few." Swift revealed that Este Haim chose Olive Garden, and that she, a few days later, sent Haim the song and asked if they would sing on it; the answer was an "immediate YES".[3]
Opening with ambulance sirens,[4] "No Body, No Crime" is a twangy[5] and cinematic,[6] country,[7] pop rock,[8] and country rock song,[9] with heavy harmonica in the key of G minor,[10] incorporating elements of Americana.[11] It tells a macabre story[5] of a woman named Este, who confronts her cheating husband. She goes missing and the song's narrator suspects she was murdered by him in favor of his mistress. Without the body of the victim, the husband cannot be tried for homicide. Este's friend takes justice into her own hands and kills the husband, dumping his body in a lake. Este's sister becomes an alibi who testifies they were together ("she was with me, dude") and frames the mistress who took out a large life insurance policy.[6] Este is named after Este Haim.[12][13] The song drew comparisons to the Chicks' "Goodbye Earl" (2000) and Carrie Underwood's "Before He Cheats" (2006) among others.[14]
Stereogum critic Tom Breihan defined the song as the "willfully silly murder narrative" that works as a take on "Goodbye Earl", and commended it as "the most country thing that Swift has done in years".[18] USA Today writer Patrick Ryan dubbed the song a "scorching" track that makes Swift's "mischievous return" to her country roots.[19] Describing the placement "No Body, No Crime" in Evermore, Jason Lipshutz of Billboard stated that the "delicious" song provides "hope and levity" amidst of the album's emotional "wreckage".[20] NME critic Hannah Mylrea noted the song's sonic direction, and described it as a "full-blown country revenge song that ends in the murder of a philandering husband", condensing a David Fincher film in a matter of few minutes.[21]
On a less positive side, Robert Christgau said although "No Body, No Crime" was the first track he paid attention to on Evermore thanks to a strong hook, it became his least favorite after repeated listens; Christgau described it as "super-hooky but pat police procedural".[22] In Vulture, Justin Curto complimented Haim's backing vocals for livening up Evermore's "static pacing", but found the narrative rather dull and Swift's songwriting not as strong as on her past songs about revenge: "It's better suited to soundtrack an episode of a soapy TV show than any heartbreak."[14] Nate Jones, also from Vulture, found the track "more like a musical costume party than a genuine attempt at embodying darkness".[23]
"No Body, No Crime" debuted and peaked at number 34 in the US Billboard Hot 100 and number two on the Hot Country Songs chart, marking Haim's first entry on both charts.[24][25] After the song was released to US country radio, it entered the Billboard Country Airplay chart on January 30, 2021 and later peaked at number 54.[26]
Gene Lee, the CEO of American casual dining restaurant chain Olive Garden credited Swift for gathering social interactions with the brand after she mentioned the name of the brand on one of her lyrics on the song, said that "Just think about what happened last week when Taylor Swift dropped the song with Olive Garden in it, and how we were able to capture that socially and create buzz around that. When Taylor Swift drops our name in a song, our brand becomes very, very relevant".[38][39]
This song is the best example of Appalachian roots on the early country scene. Unfortunately the word "femicide" was coined because of stories like these from the 19th century. Perhaps if our narrator had just popped the question, there would have been no murder. But murder he does and with such description. Perfect harmonies describing a vicious killing is sort of like china dolls: beautiful and creepy.
"Gunfighter" is not synonymous with "murderer," but the stranger with the "Big Iron" on his hip is a killer nonetheless. Yes, Texas Red had it coming. Yes, Red has the blood of 20 men on his young hands. But, no, the Code of Hammurabi is not a viable reason for the Ranger with that titular iron to gun Red down. Still, its drifting constable with good aim who takes justice into his own hands makes it one of the Wild West's best murder yarns.
While Johnny Cash has a lot of lyrical blood on his hands (see "Folsom Prison Blues," "Cocaine Blues," "Delia's Gone," "Don't Take Your Guns to Town," "Ballad of Annie Palmer" and covers of most songs on this list), not all his songs that mention murder are ballads. "I shot a man in Reno, just to watch him die" may be one of the most famous lines in country music, but it's a confession, not a story. "I Hung My Head," written by Sting and recorded by Cash in 2002, is the only song on the list with a case of accidental manslaughter. To sing tenderly of violent death is a performer's great achievement, but to actually hear a snapshot of guilt in Cash's voice makes this song the cream of the murder ballad crop.
Finally, can I say? I hope they have another pizza in the oven. Zach could probably eat that whole thing himself. Even with a big salad, that is not a two teenager sized pizza. And finally, anyone else like the song? Can you get that beat out of your head?
Murder ballads often deal with gruesome death and/or crime. Historically, many murder ballads were found in English and Irish folk songs. Many of these songs have no known author and were passed down orally. Now, most murder ballads are written and sung by country singers, particularly women.
A deeper Carrie Underwood cut, but a beautiful murder ballad nevertheless. For ideal country vibes, Underwood even plays the harmonica during this song at concerts (special mention to The Mac Weekly staff writer Audrey)!
Join author Patrick Coleman as he shares a curated playlist of crime-related songs that he compiled with the help of singer-songwriter Nicholas Altobelli. It just might be the perfect musical cocktail to inspire a future crime novel.
Jack The Ripper is one of the most well-known names among true crime enthusiasts and has inspired tons of metal groups over the years. His killings around the Whitechapel area of London have been extensively referenced by bands (most obviously deathcore act Whitechapel), and Judas Priest put together a killer track with as much aggression as the Ripper likely had while committing crimes.
I really don't want to hear about how your Subway sandwich was kind of soggy, or how you used to have a dog just like the dog the victim had, only different. What I want is for you to bring me the best true crime stories in vivid detail with no pointless commentary.
Heather starts each episode by saying, "Small talk sucks, so let's dive in." Bless her heart. This single-host show has a killer theme song, features juicy cases, and moves at an energetic pace. While Heather does offer minor commentary throughout, it is always contained to snappy snippets and doesn't involve her own life.
The one and only. The classic. The GOAT. Dateline. Even the episodes that don't feature the inimitable Keith Morrison are perfect encapsulations of why an entire subset of society is obsessed with hearing about how other people have met their ends. Suspense. Stellar reporting. And no small talk. Dateline includes audio from interrogations as well as interviews with family, friends, cops, and lawyers (and sometimes even the killers). The podcast is just as good as the TV show, and you can listen while you do the dishes!
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