First found in Europe hundreds of years ago, murder ballad poems and songs have since become heavily associated with traditional American music. A mainstay in country and folk, whether it's “The Two Sisters," a ballad that can be traced back to 1656, or the ubiquitous "Stagger Lee" (a staple since 1897), why are we so allured by the stories of the bad guys? And why is it "bad GUYS?" Not only are female characters under-represented in Murder Ballads and Anti-hero stories ... more often than not they are victims and rarely vigilantes. We love to tell the anti-heroes' stories, where men can be rapscallions and rogues, but women are relegated to the wrath of the scorned or the cold body. Explore this genre through the original music of Baltimore's ilyAIMY, a selection of iconic ballads, and everything from Johnny Cash to today’s radio hits.

A PLAYLIST:

WORKS CITED

MORE PLAYLISTS

Neill-Baker, S. “111 To Die for Murder Ballads.” Spinditty, FlourishAnyway, 22 May 2020,         

https://spinditty.com/playlists/To-Die-for-Murder-Ballads

 

BEST BOOKS

Wilentz, Sean, and Greil Marcus. The Rose & the Briar: Death, Love and Liberty in the American Ballad. New York: W.W. Norton, 2005. Print.

Schechter, Harold. Savage Pastimes: A Cultural History of Violent Entertainment. New York: St. Martin's, 2005. Print.

 

WEBSITES

"A Compendium of Information, Resources and Discussion on Notable Nineteenth Century American Murders." Murder by Gaslight. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Aug. 2014.

 

"He Shot Me Down, I Hit The Ground." Sing Out. N.p., 02 Mar. 2015. Web. 08 Nov. 2014.

 

Roffman, Michael. “Mother of Late Teenager Who Inspired Pearl Jam's ‘Jeremy’ Speaks out for First Time.” Consequence, Consequence Media, 3 Nov. 2018, https://consequence.net/2018/11/pearl-jam-jeremy-mother/.

 

Conley, Nicholas. “The Hidden Meaning of Pearl Jam's Jeremy.” Grunge.com, Grunge, 22 Apr. 2020, https://www.grunge.com/203856/the-untold-truth-of-eddie-vedder/.

 

Songfacts. “Jeremy by Pearl Jam - Songfacts.” Song Meanings at Songfacts, https://www.songfacts.com/facts/pearl-jam/jeremy.

 

"A Bad, Bad Man: Stagger Lee and Oral Tradition." Unreasonable Faith. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Nov. 2014.

 

"Black Widow by Iggy Azalea Songfacts." Black Widow by Iggy Azalea Songfacts. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Nov. 2014.

 

"A Brief History of Stagger Lee." American Blues Scene Magazine. N.p., 09 May 2011. Web. 08 Nov. 2014.

 

"The Godfather of Gangsta Rap: Stagolee." The Godfather of Gangsta Rap: Stagolee. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Nov. 2014.

 

Lane, Timothy. "St. Louis News and Events | Riverfront Times." Riverfront Times. The Riverfront Times, n.d. Web. 08 Aug. 2014.

 

"The Mystery of Stack-O-Lee." Mother Jones. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Nov. 2014.

 

Slade, Paul. "PlanetSlade.com." Planet Slade. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Aug. 2014.

 

"St. Louis Police Veterans Historical Photos." N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Nov. 2014.

 

"Staggerlee Roots." Staggerlee Roots. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Sept. 2014.