Every Tiger King Song, Ranked

Joe Exotic is not a simple guy. You probably know him as the Tiger King, a gay, gun-toting, big cat enthusiast who ran a barely legal private zoo in Oklahoma. Netflix’s new documentary series on the eccentric zookeeper also covers his other ventures: several political campaigns, a reality show and, of course, a possible murder-for-hire plot. Tiger King, however, all too quickly brushes over his amateur career as a country singer which, surely, we should be talking about more.

The small selection of songs available on Exotic’s YouTube channel range from issue-driven ballads to unabashedly queer love songs, paired with low-budget music videos with a huge Windows Movie Maker energy. Fittingly for a man who had self-aggrandizing fantasies, Exotic didn’t write his music—he doesn’t even sing them. According to producer Rick Kirkham, who lived on the zoo, “he couldn’t hold a tune.” Exotic recruited songwriter Vince Johnson and singer Danny Clinton, who had a knack for creating personalized songs. So considering that Exotic never had any real involvement in his music, I decided to listen to all of his songs. Maybe self-isolation is finally getting to me but… they’re not bad. They’re actually kind of good!

First, a clarification: Country music is not my genre—the extent of my expertise is Kacey Musgraves and Taylor Swift pre-1989. But I think that outsider perspective is beneficial here. I have very little to compare these to, and all I care about is if these songs are bops. So with that said…

12. "The Sun Says"

I have nothing against Exotic’s father, who this song is dedicated to, but “The Sun Says” is just too boring. This guy loves his ballads and there are about five other ones that sound exactly like this. Also, the titular lyric (“The sun says I’m in love with you”) makes zero sense.

11. "My First Love"

Another! ballad! “My First Love” is a mournful ode to his ex-husband John Finlay (sorry to his other ex-husband, Travis Maldonado). Again, I have nothing against Finlay, but it’s too tame for the gloriously unhinged Exotic.

10. Do You Ever Wonder What Love Could Do?

This song is pretty generic sap, though the ghostwriters do flex their songwriting muscles with some contemplative internal rhymes. “Do you ever wonder about the thunder?,” Exotic belts in front of green screen thunderclouds (big Kirin J Callinan energy). The high-concept music video only gets wilder: a police officer forcibly takes a wolf and a tiger kitten from their sobbing owners, and Carole Baskin gets a little cameo too. Unsurprisingly, Baskin shade is a running theme throughout Exotic’s music.

9. "Guardians of Children"

A lot of Exotic’s music covers some difficult subjects like drunk driving (“GW and Me”) and Alzheimer’s (“The Sun Says”), but with “Guardians of Children”, the zookeeper tackles child abuse… and biker gangs? I can’t fault the originality.

8. "Pretty Woman Lover"

In this upbeat track that was likely timed to his presidential run, the gay polygamist croons about how he’s a hit with the ladies and an “ugly woman’s dream.” In the music video, he runs away from his adoring female fans into a limo, which is a pretty good representation of his illusions about his own fame. I hate to admit it, but this song is kind of catchy.

7. "GW and Me"

This guitar ballad is a pretty touching ode to Exotic’s brother, Garold Wayne, who was killed by a drunk driver. Most of Exotic’s songs play it pretty safe, but “GW and Me” throws a harmonic curveball with a final chorus key change. Lip sync your heart out, Joe!

6. "I Can’t Believe This Feeling"

With some upbeat guitars and a pinch of AutoTune which I am choosing to interpret as an artistic choice, “I Can’t Believe This Feeling” is a fun same-sex pop anthem about feeling proud to be yourself. “I’m laughing out loud and I don’t care who sees,” sings Exotic, as he frolics through snow and stares out into the Oklahoman wilderness.

5. "I Saw a Tiger"

In this "animal rights" ballad, Exotic pleads to hunters to “put down their guns” and to leave tigers alone to “roam their land.” It’s pretty ironic considering he owns a literal private zoo, but nevertheless, it’s moving if you don’t know the context. “I Saw a Tiger” also boasts Exotic’s wildest lyrics—never one for subtlety, here, he invokes a Holocaust metaphor for tiger poaching.

4. "How Was I To Know"

In “How Was I To Know,” the aspiring country singer guns for Mitski’s sad pop crown with this deceptively chirpy tune about a relationship gone wrong. Not that it’s Grammy-worthy material, but some of the more emotional lyrics shine through: “Did it all come to me in a dream / Like a movie on a silver screen?” I also thoroughly recommend watching the music video which inexplicably cross-cuts between Exotic singing in a studio and lying in a coffin.

3. "This Is My Life"

Probably the most ambitious song of the bunch, this solemn ballad (cannot stress enough how many of these are ballads!!!) clocks in at five minutes long. Exotic laments his battle with cancer and shares his gratitude for his friends and family. All of his songs seem to pour out the most intimate (but not always true) details of his life, but in “This Is My Life,” he looks inward, expressing regret for his past mistakes: “I’ve done a lot of things wrong / But I’ve done some good.”

2. "Because You Love Me"

Exotic’s music tends to be pretty simplistic, composition-wise, but “Because You Love Me” goes all out. Electronic drums, bass, and *gasp* is that a banjo I hear? I’m thankful no one will catch me singing “because you looooooooove me” in self-isolation. In a sea of treacly slow jams, “Because You Love Me” rises above as a true bop. This would clearly be the frontrunner if there wasn’t another banger standing in the way...

1. "Here Kitty Kitty"

“Here Kitty Kitty” is undeniably the definitive Joe Exotic song. This dark, smooth murder ode details his theory surrounding his nemesis, Carole Baskin, who is rumored to have killed her millionaire husband and fed his remains to tigers. Making no attempts to hide who the song is about, the music video features an eerie Baskin look-alike in her recognizable tiger-print garb holding “human” meat on a platter. Petty? For sure. But that’s what makes it the ultimate diss track.

Newsmakers

The miracle of the great Zanesville zoo escape—which began last fall when a depressed, desperate man named Terry Thompson set free his vast collection of exotic animals—was that not a single innocent person was hurt. The incident made global news. It also thrust into daylight, if only for a brief moment, a secret world of privately owned exotic animals living off the grid, and often right next door. We sent Chris Heath to Zanesville, Ohio, to find out where the wild things are—and what the hell they're doing there.

You'll have a hard time removing yourself from this gripping new series.

Originally Appeared on GQ