It's been said that country music consists of "three chords and the truth," and often times the cold, hard truth is revealed in songs on the dark side such as "Tom Dooley," "Folsom Prison Blues," "Long Black Veil," "The Thunder Rolls" and "Goodbye Earl." Controversy: Murder They Wrote profiles the songs of human demise that are controversial staples of country music.
"When a country is in strife, that's when the good songs are written. The songs that have become anthems, they come out of real strife and sorrow and people being imprisoned," says folk singer Joan Baez. Her own music has been a platform for social activism as she recorded one of the most infamous murder songs "Long Black Veil."
"(Murder ballads) are like tabloid newspapers. You read the New York Times or Wall Street Journal or read about the latest international treaty or something you forget about tomorrow. Murder is really interesting, and people are drawn to it. They're drawn to human dramas," said author and former Rolling Stone editor and music correspondent Kurt Loder.
TV Schedule
Episode Main Page:
Controversy:
Murder They Wrote
© 2009 MTV Networks,© and TM