Backstage Country

Carrie Underwood’s Finest ‘Did Her Wrong’ Songs

Carrie Underwood made her debut as a judge on American Idol’s 23rd Season on ABC last night (3/9). She first appeared as a contestant on Idol when she was 22….

Carrie Underwood poses in a silver dress on a red carpet.
Joy Malone/Getty Images

Carrie Underwood made her debut as a judge on American Idol's 23rd Season on ABC last night (3/9). She first appeared as a contestant on Idol when she was 22.

The superstar, whose birthday is March 10, watched the premiere of Idol last night at home in Nashville with a Chicken on her lap. Yep, she posted a photo of herself with a live chicken on Insta Stories and wrote in part, "Watched the 'American Idol' premiere… brought back down to Earth with an egg-bound chicken."

Over the years, I've often chatted with Underwood, and she told me about her omission of the standard love song. She told me in one of those interviews not long ago, "It's never been a conscious thing to exclude love songs (laughs). I just think, in general, I find them like static. Like, I hear something, or it doesn't seem genuine to me."

She recently opted for a love song with duet partner Cody Johnson, who said of the superstar, "She reminds me a lot of working with Reba in that, like, to be such an American icon and to have such a huge voice. She’s a very, very normal down to earth person that is just the sweetest lady you can meet. I mean, she’s been so wonderful to work with, and I think her vocals speak for itself."

Known and loved for her amazing songs about getting back at the man who did her wrong, we look at Carrie's top five "revenge" songs, including some of the revenge-filled lyrics.  

"Dirty Laundry"

"Now, I'ma have to hang you out to dry, dry, dry (dry) / Clothespin all your secrets to the line, line, line." 


"Church Bells"

"Jenny slipped something in his Tennessee whiskey / No law-man was ever gonna find / And how he died is still a mystery / But he hit a woman for the very last time." 


"Before He Cheats"

"I took a Louisville slugger to both headlights / I slashed a hole in all four tires / Maybe next time he'll think before he cheats."


"Blown Away"

"She heard those sirens, screamin' out / Her daddy laid there, passed out on the couch / She locked herself in the cellar / Listened to the screamin' of the wind / Some people call it, taking shelter / She called it, 'Sweet revenge.'"


"Two Black Cadillacs"

"Two months ago, his wife called the number on his phone / Turns out he'd been lying to both of them for oh so long / They decided then, he'd never get away with doing this to them / Two black Cadillacs waiting for the right time, right time." 

Nancy Brooks has been working in the country music industry for almost 30 years. She has interviewed pretty much any country star you can think of. In the late 1990s, she started working with Dolly Parton. And yes, Nancy reports that Parton is as sweet as you would think. She loves her life in country music and has been backstage at every CMA Awards show since the late 1990s. Many of her stories are from her one-on-one interviews. She was there at the beginning of the incredible careers of many music superstars today, including Taylor Swift, Shania Twain, and Blake Shelton, and has interviewed them multiple times throughout the years.