Sufjan Stevens made the perfect killing song on his Illinoise album. The song not only tells the creepy tale of the convicted mass-murderer John Wayn Gacy Jr.; but also admits towards the end of the song that:
In my best behavior, I am really just like him…
look beneath the floorboards, for the secrets I have hid.
Combine those chilling lyrics with the slow orchestral style and surreal singing of Sufjan and you might just start wondering if the uber-christian indie artist has actually done the deed. (selected by Frank)
Sufjan Stevens – John Wayne Gacy Jr.
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Sufjan Stevens – Illinoise 
Pitney sings a mighty tale of gun-slinging heroics in the lawless wild west. (selected by nugget)
Gene Pitney – The Man who Shot Liberty Valance
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Gene Pitney – 18 All Time Greatest Hits
Though there are no lyrics to this particular track, when I listen to it, I cannot help but feel that it would be a perfect song to commit some elaborate murder to and then escape into the narrow streets of a bustling eastern city like Morocco. The song, “My Guru” was written by the famous Bollywood musical producing brothers, Kalyani and Anandji Shah for the Thicker Than Water surf video in 2000. (selected by Foote)
Kalyani and Anandji Shah – My Guru
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Thicker Than Water
I chose this song because it’s dark, it’s badass, and it’s sinister. I can imagine all kinds of evil when I hear this song, despite the fact that there aren’t a lot of lyrics, and it’s not overtly about killing. The evil act is left up to the imagination. Enjoy. A History of Bad Men, from The Melvins’ latest release, A Senile Animal. (selected by Ginny)
The Melvins – A History of Bad Men
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Listening to this song it’s easy to imagine a femme fatale loading up her beretta….ready to pop a cap in some unsuspecting admirer. (selected by aidanthetiger)
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Poe – Hello
This is one of the roughest songs you will ever here. If you listen to this song while driving, you can’t help but think thus: what a great song for a drive-by… This song is about murdering people and it exudes death with eery samples, a hard beat, and sociopathic lyrics. If I ever killed someone it would be an act of cold revenge. I would put this song on repeat and drive-by blasting. (selected by D Rock)
Mobb Deep – Shook Ones Part II
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Mobb Deep – The Infamous
Bone Machine is probably one of the darkest, most haunting albums in the Tom Waits catalogue. Technically, one could probably could go on a killing spree listening to the whole thing from opening to close. It’s just that hypnotic, and it’s just that
eerie. There are some more obvious choices on this album for songs to kill a man to, such as “Earth Died Screaming”, and “Murder in the Red Barn,” but personally, I feel that that no other song brings on the oppressive feeling of impending doom the way that “Jesus Gonna Be Here” does. The formula is simple. Write a track heavily referencing the Southern Spiritual/Gospel song form using a stand up bass, a
crude yet ballsy blues riff, and a sparsely miked drum kit. Add Tom Waits’ ferocious and gutteral vocal, and by the first “Whoo hoo” I’m already shitting my pants.
The minimalist texture of the arrangement and the Southern gothic religious undertone really rounds out the context of the track, adding an almost comforting
element to the song. So if I were ever to deliver someone to their maker, “Jesus Gonna Be Here” would definitely be my song of choice. (selected by Brian)
Tom Waits – Jesus Gonna Be Here
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Tom Waits – Bone Machine
To sum up: tension, repression and seduction – three elements of murder.
Plus, if you imagine it as if in a scene of a movie – completely badass. (selected by Feli)
Sia – Breathe Me (Four Tet remix)
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Sia – Colour the Small One
all of my blind ambition left me deaf with perfect vision (selected by Bootsy)
Dresden Dolls – The Time Has Come
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The Dresden Dolls – The Dresden Dolls
Overweight, pale skinned, white male, mid-30s. White mid-length tube socks with black boots laced tightly. No shirt or pants on, only white briefs with slight food stains. Low-camera level, he’s smoothly dancing around with a large hunting knife in hand as if the knife was a part of the dance steps. We see a victim tied up, mouth covered with duct tape, shaking in a chair, increasing as the man gets closer and the guitar solo kicks in. Make your own ending and you got a classic scene. Mule Skinner Blues (selected by Sydney C)
The Fendermen – Mule Skinner Blues
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Phil Humphrey & The Fendermen – That Was Then This Is Now
I think Massive Attack’s “Teardrop” is a great song for the Top Songs to Kill a Man to. I think the soft vocals are such a beautiful contrast to such a brutal action. (selected by Jillian)
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Massive Attack – Mezzanine
If I’m gonna kill someone, I’m not going to be listening to crappy indie music while I do it. Give me some death metal.
@yoyo
Death Metal? Seriously? You have no class, put the bag back over your head TCM~
Mouse…typical indiefag response. Something angry would work so much more, not something I would post the lyrics to in my aim profile.
If I had to choose a song – A Thousand Years of Oppression by Amon Amarth. “After a thousand years of oppression/Let the berserks rise again/Let the world hear these words once more:/”Save us, oh lord, from the wrath of the Norseman”"
hammer smashed face.
I would have to say that death metal would fit if only the killing called for such atmosphere (i.e. some sort of bloody revenge).
I’m not up on classical, but I could see some eerie symphony going…that would make it less gruesome.
btw, death metal can suck my balls!
Rage against machine? how i could just kill a man?
Seriously, listen to:
“Buenos Tardes Amigo” by Ween…. and you have your perfect “stab-him-in-the-back-killing-song”
Cheers.
I’d probably go with John Lee Hooker’s “I’m Bad Like Jesse James”, myself.
I wouldnt be able to hear the music over the voices in my head.
baiting the public by Fucked Up
obviously westfall by okkervil river. thats the easiest pick in history
listen to War? by system of a down, on the album system of a down, it’s an excellent song to murder to, if you are murdering masses as opposed to single victims.
If you wanted to terrify and EVENTUALLY kill somebody but only after hours of torture, the indie would do just fine, because psychotic metal tends to pump people up, and probably make death less heart droppingly horrible for the victims. If you can still have the violent soul to listen to the upbeat “let’s all love eachother” music while forcing a victim to piss himself and bathe in his blood then do it. wait, no, don’t do it. i seemed to have forgot how bad killing is.
Eye of the tiger