# Don't Go in the Lion's Cage Tonight and Other Heartrending Ballads and Raucous Ditties

Don't Go in the Lion's Cage Tonight and Other Heartrending Ballads and Raucous Ditties (It's also called simply Don't Go in the Lion's Cage Tonight by most media outlets) is the forth solo studio album by English actress and singer Julie Andrews, released in 1962 by Columbia Records. The album features a collection of vaudeville and music hall songs, with copyright dates ranging from the 1890s to the 1910s. Andrews, who was expecting her first child at the time, turned to the recording studio as she was unavailable for stage or screen performances. The album showcases her versatility, moving away from the theater ballads of her previous album, Broadway’s Fair Julie, to embrace a more playful and comedic style.
The tracklist includes songs that explore a variety of themes, such as the lively "By the Light of the Silvery Moon" (1909), the dramatic "She is More to Be Pitied Than Censured", which tells the story of a young woman fallen from grace, and the comedic "The Honeysuckle and the Bee" (1901), featuring playful brass arrangements. Also notable are "Mother Was a Lady" (1896), a parody of the "good-girl song" style, and the politically incorrect yet amusing "Who Threw the Overalls in Mrs. Murphy's Chowder?" (1898). Andrews adopts a cockney accent in "Waiting at the Church," a song about a bride left at the altar, and delivers spirited performances of "Smarty" (1908) and "Burlington Bertie from Bow", the latter being a parody of a 1900 song. The album also features two compositions by Irving Berlin: "Everybody's Doin' It Now" and "Alexander's Ragtime Band", the latter showcasing an arrangement by Mersey.
The title track of the album was released as a single in 1967. Record World magazine gave it a four-star rating, describing it as "a marvelous tongue-in-cheek recording", while also considering the album itself to be "great". The same magazine noted that Andrews did not have a recording contract, stating: "It seems ironic, in the light of the startling sales figures associated with superstar Andrews, that the miss has no recording contract – even a non-exclusive one – with any label". By 1962, Andrews recorded for several major labels, including Decca, RCA Victor, Columbia, and Angel Records.
The album was re-released on CD twice. The first reissue (released only in Spain) came in 1995 under the Sony Music Special Marketing label, part of CBS/Sony. This edition was a 2-in-1 compilation, featuring Julie Andrews' previous album, Broadway's Fair Julie, on the same CD. In 2015, Él Records, a subsidiary of Cherry Red Records, reissued the compilation once again, adding four bonus tracks from the 1954 cast recording of The Boy Friend, starring Andrews. In total, this version contains 28 tracks.

## Critical reception

Professional ratings :
| Review scores ||
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic | |
| Billboard | Favorable |
| Cash Box | Favorable |
The album received positive reviews from critics, who praised Andrews' talent and the selection of material. Overall, the critics agreed that Don't Go in the Lion's Cage Tonight was a charming and well-executed album that showcased Julie Andrews' versatility and talent as a performer.
The music critic of Cash Box highlighted Andrews' "electrifying, wide-range delivery" and the "first-rate arrangements" that backed her performance. The review noted that the album could be another winner for Andrews, following her successful collaboration with Carol Burnett in Julie and Carol at Carnegie Hall. Billboard magzine echoed this sentiment, describing Andrews as "gushing talent" on the tracks. The review emphasized the standout backing provided by Bob Mersey's arrangements and predicted that the album could secure Andrews a solo spot on the charts. The selection of songs, including "Waiting at the Church" and "Don’t Go in the Lion’s Cage Tonight," was also commended.
William Ruhlmann from AllMusic website awarded the album four out of five stars, praising Andrews' feel for the material and Robert Mersey's arrangements, which occasionally included a barbershop quartet. The review noted that while the album may have been commercially negligible, it was a delightful collection that was likely as enjoyable to record as it was to listen to. Andrews' ability to balance sentimental ballads with outright comic numbers, sometimes sung in a Cockney accent, was particularly appreciated.

## Comercial performance

According to Robert Windeler, writer of Julie Andrews — A Biography, Andrews's solo albums released between the late 1950s and early 1960s, like Don't Go in the Lion's Cage Tonight and Other Heartrending Ballads and Raucous Ditties, did not charted, which prevented her from making more albums later on.