Just as the world was desperate for a new pop culture phenomenon to distract us from a global pandemic, Joe Exotic emerged on the scene. The star of Netlix’s hit docuseries, Tiger King, Joe is a larger-than-life personality unlike anyone we’ve ever seen before. The founder of G.W. Zoo, he built a life for himself that revolved around tigers, guns, explosives, high-profile beefs with animal rights activists, and an internet television show. Somehow, he also found time for passionate relationships with multiple husbands at the same time.
But that’s not all. Early in the docuseries, we were introduced to another side of the zoo owner: Joe Exotic, aspiring country music star.
Watching Joe’s music videos is a surreal experience. At first, you’re drawn in by the absurdity of it all: Running around with giant tigers and a pistol on his belt, Joe’s golden mullett flaps in the wind as he sings songs about love, unity, and big cats. But beyond the sheer spectacle of it all are some legitimately good songs. It’s impossible to hear something like “I Saw A Tiger” without it getting stuck in your head for the rest of the day. Joe can really sing!
Of course, as The Los Angeles Times points out, it’s unlikely that Joe actually sang these songs himself. Apparently, he hired a songwriter named Vince Johnson and a singer named Danny Clinton to create these songs, and he’s just lip-syncing their work in the music videos. Still, these are works of art that need to be appreciated. And we’re all stuck at home with nothing better to do, so fuck it. We ranked Joe Exotic’s 10 best songs. Enjoy.
10. “Pretty Woman Lover”
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“Pretty Woman Lover” is the most difficult Joe Exotic song to rank. In some ways, it gives us everything we want from the Tiger King experience: There are special effects, catchy melodies, and incredible one-liners like, “I ain't no candle, I’m a red hot flame.” Joe even rides a motorcycle and gets a tattoo in the middle of the video shoot. Hell yeah. What keeps this near the bottom of his catalog, though, is the strange fact that a gay icon like Joe Exotic made a song like “Pretty Woman Lover” in the first place. The man had two husbands. Why the hell was he singing about being an “ugly woman’s dream"? It seems he may have been going through an identity crisis back in 2016 when he put this one up on his YouTube channel. We may never know. —Eric Skelton
9. “My First Love”
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Joe has a thing for recording intense ballads. On “My First Love,” it’s unclear whether he’s singing about his feelings for his park of wild cats or a lover. While his longtime partner, John Finlay (who was also featured in Tiger King) appears in the snowy music video, Joe sings so passionately that it’s easy to see how some fans would think he’s talking about his wild kingdom. “You were my first love, the one that’s going to last,” he croons. “Million miles later, I’m a ghost from the past. You were my true love.” —Jessica McKinney
8. “GW And Me”
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iMovie is a great tool for budding filmmakers, and few have used it better than Joe Exotic does on “GW & Me.” Traversing between locations as varied as the studio, Joe’s animal park, and the Baylor University hospital, America’s newest country star litters his video with the corniest effects imaginable. It’s perfect. Granted, the song is all about the tragic death of Exotic’s brother, but it’s impossible to stay mourning while watching quick cuts of red roses amongst a black and white cemetery, or Exotic exaggeratedly looking for another human in a vast and empty field. The sentiment is sincere, but Joe has always imbued his projects with the maximal amount of absurdity. It’d be considered camp if he knew any better, but on “GW and Me,” it’s clear that Joe Exotic is genuine in his aesthetic. —Will Schube
7. “This Is My Life”
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Joe’s life is far from average. On “This Is My Life,” he outlines his hectic lifestyle, from his polygamous relationships to his large collection of wild tigers. He also appears to say farewell to his fans and supporters, singing, “All that I’ve done, it comes down to this/It’s been taken away from me by this damn disease/This is goodbye, my last farewell/To all of my fans.” (Spoiler alert!) The lyrics likely allude to Joe’s conviction for attempting to hire a hitman to murder his rival Carole Baskin in 2019. Although the track addresses the not-so-glamorous aspects of Joe’s life, it’s still a ballad worth listening to. —Jessica McKinney
6. “Do You Ever Wonder What Love Could Do?”
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Who knew a ballad about someone’s love for wild animals could sound so intense and passionate? “Do You Ever Wonder What Love Could Do?” is a heartfelt record that describes the loving bond between a person and their pet. The visuals kind of look like an ASPCA commercial, but much less grim. And while it’s meant to be endearing, there’s another side to the record that sounds more somber and mournful. That’s because he also discusses the moment an animal is taken away from its owner due to ownership laws. “Help us stop the animal rights people along with Sanctuaries hoarding animals for their own benefit of stealing animals from owners for free,” a statement reads on Joe’s YouTube page. The man stands up for his beliefs! —Jessica McKinney
5. “Bring It On (Please Unite)”
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The best thing about Joe Exotic’s burgeoning music career is how he insists on using his song titles to clarify that he’s a “Country Music Artist.” “Bring it On (Please Unite)” is not sung by Joe Exotic. It’s sung by Country Music Artist Joe Exotic. If the twang and drawl doesn’t give it away, Exotic’s abundance of caution will. On “Bring it On (Please Unite),” he pleads with the public, the media, and anyone in his way to let him have his animals. He asks for us to unite around his cause, but if we don’t, he’ll use the semi-automatic weapon he totes in the video to either eradicate us or change our minds. He doesn’t care if you’re left wing or right wing. If you take away the camel that gnaws on his hat throughout the video, Joe Exotic will shoot you in the face. I’d take him at his word. —Will Schube
4. “I Can’t Believe This Feeling”
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“I Can’t Believe This Feeling” is easily one of Joe Exotic’s most endearing love songs. On the track, he croons about a special love in his life: “The way it makes me smile/The way it sets me free/Laughing out loud and I really don’t care who sees/And I want you to know I want to be your very best friend.” The song is dedicated to Joe’s love, but it could also double as a love letter to any special someone—even a wild cat. Meow. —Jessica McKinney
3. “Because You Love Me”
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This man really convinced paying visitors at his zoo to do the wave for the intro of a music video. The confidence! But beyond the feel-good vibes (and all the cute tigers) in the music video, “Because You Love Me” contains easily one of Joe’s best vocal performances. If you close your eyes and forget it’s coming from Joe, you can imagine a song like this taking over country radio. Joe Exotic can really put together a melody. His life has been full of a lot of dark, tragic moments, but this is a refreshing moment of positivity. —Eric Skelton
2. “I Saw a Tiger”
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It’s easy to forget how adorable Joe Exotic’s tigers are because our guy is fucking batshit insane. But look at the tiger cub in the “I Saw a Tiger” video. It’s staggeringly cute. Joe’s thesis in the song, that shooting tigers is bad (the would-be assassin is played by his husband) is a fair point, but I know plenty of people that make fair points without wearing handcuffs around their crotch. Of course, Exotic’s entire case is built on faulty ground, considering he asks that tigers be able to live in the jungle and roam their land. That’s some God-level cognitive dissonance from the owner and proprietor of an exotic zoo! Regardless, “I Saw a Tiger” is a bonafide hit. If it was about seeing girls in Daisy Dukes or seeing a really cold beer in the fridge, it would already be a mainstream smash. “I saw a tiger, and a tiger saw man,” he sings. That shit will be on t-shirts as soon as we’re allowed to leave our houses again. From the top of a green-screen cop car, Joe asks a simple question: Who’s at fault? The man giving tigers a warm and safe home or the law enforcers threatening to take them away? The answer is everyone. Everyone is at fault. —Will Schube
1. “Here Kitty Kitty”
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Honestly, it was a very easy decision to rank “Here Kitty Kitty” at No. 1 on this list. There were no other real contenders. This is where Joe Exotic really pulls all the pieces together. This is his opus. And really, it might just be one of the most over-the-top diss songs of all time. Who else but Joe Exotic would write a whole song about how his real-life nemesis fed her missing husband to tigers, and then hire a look-alike to feed actual meat to real tigers?! Your favorite rapper could never. A line like “Here kitty kitty, you can’t find this taste at the zoo” hits different when you’re watching a tiger eat raw meat, and you know there was an actual missing person involved. The whole thing is completely nuts. There’s really no one quite like Joe Exotic. —Eric Skelton
