Blood On The Tracks

Murder and mayhem are not the usual subjects for songwriters however we've unearthed ten of the best so here's some harrowing tunes for you to get your teeth into.

10. The Police Murder By Numbers

The title of the song is pretty self explanatory. You are essentially given a step-by step instruction guide on committing a murder, which perhaps is a tad ironic, coming from a band called The Police

9. Nick Cave and Kylie Minogue Where the Wild Roses Grow.

Its no great surprise that the man responsible for Murder Ballads an entire album dedicated to gruesome killings, made the cut. Teaming up with Kylie Minogue, Where The Wild Roses Grow is set post-murder in the format of a dialogue between murderer and victim. Nick supposedly spent many years trying to write the perfect song for Kylie, before deciding on thisKylie, wherever you are - wed be worried!!

8. Megadeth Loved to Death.

With a band name like Megadeth, its almost a given that theyll have explored themes of murder. The song tells the story of a killer who bumps into his ex-lover in hell and was not expecting to see her there. Clearly they were never a match made in heaven.

7. The Beatles - Maxwells Silver Hammer

Dont let the bouncy and upbeat nature of the song fool you, for it is not as cheerful as it soundsMaxwells Silver Hammer describes Maxwell Edison, a medical student, who uses his silver hammer to murder his girlfriend, his teacher and if thats not enough, he later comes back for more and takes down his judge. Lennon was not a fan of this track however, claiming it to be a perfect example of McCartneys granny-style writing that he despised. The song has also been rumoured to be responsible for the break up of the Fab Four!

6. The Killers Jenny Was A Friend Of Mine Although we never find out whether or not Brandon Flowers actually commits the crime, he is held under suspicion of murder, and lets face it; the aptly titled band name is not doing him any favours.

5. Bruce Springsteen - Nebraska The Boss takes the law into his own hands here, and with 10 casualties by the end of the second line, you know he means business.

4. AC/DC Dirty Deeds Done Cheap Looking for a hitman? Look no further. AC/DC offer their services here at bargain prices. They even leave their number for you to call! You wont be asking for your money back either, when you see what theyve got in store; were talking cyanide, TNT and erm concrete shoes??

3. Jimi Hendrix Hey Joe Hey Joe, made most famous by Hendrix, tells the classic tale of a cheating spouse who got what was coming to her; a shot-gun to the head that is, whilst the killer was on his merry way to Mexico to hide from the law.

2. Tom Jones Delilah Another song about cheating wives and murderous husbands. This time the killing is in the form of a stabbing, after a man spies his wife making love to another. He loses his temper (just a little bit) and once her lover has left, he walks in and stabs her repeatedly, not long before breaking down and begging her for forgiveness, as the police come to drag him away.

1. Neil Young Down By The River In the song Young takes his baby on a nice evening stroll by the river, and comes back alone...He suspects that his baby has been cheating on him. Though theres no doubt that shell never do it againThe lyrics were written when Young was severely ill in bed, which may explain the morbidity factor.