Michael Ball (born Michael Ashley Ball, on 27 June 1962 in Bromsgrove, England) is a British actor and singer, best known for musical theatre roles such as Marius in Les Misérables, Alex in Aspects of Love, and Caractacus Potts in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.
Although born in England, Michael Ball is half Welsh, and says jokingly that he considers himself "Wenglish" and proud to be British [1]. He studied Drama at the Guildford School of Acting and graduated in 1984. His first major break was a star part in the production of The Pirates of Penzance at the Opera House, Manchester. Next came a brief stint in Rep. Cameron Mackintosh saw him and cast him as Marius in Les Misérables. Next came Raoul in the second casting of Phantom of the Opera, and Alex in Aspects of Love, both in London and on Broadway, and Giorgio in Stephen Sondheim's London production of Passion. Alone Together was Michael's one man show first performed at The Donmar Warehouse (which was reprised in 2004 for the Singular Sensations season at the Haymarket). In 2002 Michael took on the role of Caractacus Potts in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang which was largely considered his comeback role. In 2005, at 10 days' notice, he replaced Michael Crawford, who had to leave the show due to ill health, as Count Fosco in The Woman in White, and gave a popular and critically-acclaimed performance.
Other performances include singing at the BBC's St David's Day concert, at the Les Misérables Tenth Anniversary Concert in 1995, and the fiftieth birthday party of Andrew Lloyd Webber in 1998. He is a dramatic baritone known for his range, expression and power.
Michael is an accomplished concert artist and tours frequently around the UK. He has also performed concerts in Australia and America. Since reaching the top of the British charts with "Love Changes Everything" (from Aspects of Love) Michael had small successes with follow up singles but in the main he has concentrated on releasing albums, all of which achieved Gold status within weeks, and in the case of The Movies album in 1998, Platinium in 7 weeks{was released Oct 26th confirmed Platinium status in interview on 12 Dec}. Michael represented the UK in the Eurovision Song Contest 1992, singing the song "One Step Out of Time", which finished second.
Michael has also turned his hand to presenting both on TV and radio and has presented The National lottery, Children in Need and This Morning, and had his own series on TV and radio (Ball over Broadway on BBC Radio 2) (which is in its fourth season), The Greenroom, and several specials for BBC Radio 2 on subjects such as Nat King Cole, Cameron Mackintosh, and Cy Coleman.
In September 2005, Michael made his NYC Opera debut as Reginald Bunthorne in Gilbert and Sullivan's Patience with the New York City Opera.
In October 2005 Michael released his latest album "Music". The album went into the UK charts at number 11, and spent 10 weeks in the top 75. The album finished the year the 99th best selling album of 2005.
In November, 2005, Michael returned to Broadway as Count Fosco in The Woman in White, which transferred from London's West End. However, he was forced to leave the show due to a reported viral infection caused by the fat suit required for the role, which reportedly raised Ball's body temperature by several degrees during the show. The suit is also thought to have been the cause of Michael Crawford's premature departure from the show in London. The show closed early, in part due to the health problems of Ball and leading lady Maria Friedman.
Michael spent the first quarter of 2006 on complete vocal rest, following the illness that caused him the leave Woman In White on Broadway. By the middle of July, Michael had taken part in the Royals Court's celebratory performance of The Rocky Horror Show, recorded a new album (called "One Voice", due for release on 30 October 2006) and made a guest appearance on Julian Lloyd Webber's album "Unexpected song". Then came the summer concerts at Aberdeen, Bath, Southport, Oakley Hall and Cardiff. In August, Michael sat in for Michael Parkinson on his Radio 2 show. He was interviewed for Radio 3's "Stage and Screen" programme, and recorded a tribute to Anthony Newley at Hackney Empire, also for Radio 2. Michael then took part in 'Proms in the Park' in Singleton Park, Swansea. He sang two tracks from his forthcoming album, 'One Voice'; the title song and 'Hero'. Michael also sung show stoppers, 'This is the Moment', 'Anthem' and 'Love Changes Everything'. In November, Michael will be releasing a new DVD containing all the best songs from his 'Live in Concert' DVDs. They will be split into five sections: Musicals, Love Songs, Personal Favourites, Party Time and Unplugged. The DVD will also include a brand new "Unplugged" session which Michael has recorded with just 4 other musicians in the studio especially for this DVD. It will be released on November 20 2006. Six days later he will join Petula Clark in concert at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane in London. (In 2004, he co-starred with her in a production of Lloyd Webber's Sunset Boulevard at the Cork Opera House in the Republic of Ireland, which was later broadcast by the BBC. Michael has lots of promotional activities coming up at the end of the year with the release of his new album 'One Voice'.
It has been announced that Ball will be taking the lead role in Kismet in June/July 2007 for the ENOdetails can be found on the English National Opera website.There will also be a tour but exact dates are not known yet{Michael confirmed this during his Stage and screen interview}.
He is currently sitting in for Johnnie Walker on his Sunday afternoon BBC Radio 2 show.
Fever
Michael Ball Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Never know how much I care
When you put your arms around me
I get a fever that's so hard to bear
You give me fever when you kiss me
Fever when you hold me tight
Fever in the morning
Ev'rybody's got the fever
That is something you all know
Fever isn't such a new thing
Fever started long ago
Sun lights up the daytime
Moon lights up the night
I light up when you call my name
And you know I'm gonna treat you right
You give me fever when you kiss me
Fever when you hold me tight
Fever in the morning
Fever all through the night
Romeo loved Juliet
Juliet she felt the same
When he put his arms around her
He said 'Julie, baby, you're my flame
Thou givest fever when we kisseth
Fever with the flaming youth
Fever I'm afire
Fever yea I burn for sooth'
Captain Smith and Pocahontas
Had a very mad affair
When her daddy tried to kill him
She said 'Daddy, o, don't you dare
He gives me fever with his kisses
Fever when he holds me tight
Fever, I'm his misses,
Oh Daddy, won't you treat him right'
Now you've listened to my story
Here's the point that I have made
Cats were born to give chicks fever
Be it Fahrenheit or centigrade
They give you fever when you kiss them
Fever if you live and learn
Fever till you sizzle
What a lovely way to burn
What a lovely way to burn
What a lovely way to burn
The song "Fever" by Michael Ball is a classic love song that is both enigmatic and seductive. The lyrics are about the intense feelings that come with being in love, and the way that those feelings can be just as powerful and all-consuming as a fever. The song is sung from the perspective of someone who is deeply in love with their partner, and who is almost overwhelmed by the emotions that they feel when they are together.
The first verse of the song sets the mood, with the singer explaining that they never knew how much they loved or cared until their partner came along. When they are embraced by their partner, they feel an intense fever that is almost too much to bear. The second verse explains that everyone gets the fever when they are in love, and that it has been happening since long ago. The chorus repeats the feelings of the first verse, with the singer saying that they get a fever when their partner kisses them, holds them tight, and all through the night.
The third verse tells the story of Romeo and Juliet, and how their love was just as passionate and feverish as the singer's love for their partner. The fourth verse tells the story of Captain Smith and Pocahontas, and how their love was so powerful that even her father's disapproval couldn't stand in the way. The final verse brings everything together, as the singer explains that love has always been this way, and that it's a natural part of life. The chorus repeats, reinforcing the message that love can be a fever, but it's a beautiful way to burn.
Line by Line Meaning
Never know how much I love you
It's impossible for me to express how much I love you
Never know how much I care
It's impossible for me to express how much I care
When you put your arms around me
When I feel your embrace
I get a fever that's so hard to bear
I feel intense passion that is difficult to control
You give me fever when you kiss me
Your kisses ignite a feeling of passion in me
Fever when you hold me tight
When you hold me tight I feel intense passion
Fever in the morning
I feel intense passion in the morning
Fever all through the night.
I feel intense passion all night long
Ev'rybody's got the fever
Everyone experiences intense passion
That is something you all know
This is a universal experience
Fever isn't such a new thing
Intense passion is not a new phenomenon
Fever started long ago
Intense passion has been around for a very long time
Sun lights up the daytime
The sun illuminates the day
Moon lights up the night
The moon illuminates the night
I light up when you call my name
I become excited when you call my name
And you know I'm gonna treat you right
I will always treat you well
Romeo loved Juliet
Romeo had a great love for Juliet
Juliet she felt the same
Juliet reciprocated Romeo's love
When he put his arms around her
When Romeo embraced Juliet
He said 'Julie, baby, you're my flame
Romeo told Juliet that she was the source of his passion
Thou givest fever when we kisseth
Their kisses would ignite intense passion
Fever with the flaming youth
The passion they felt was intense and youthful
Fever I'm afire
The passion I feel is burning inside of me
Fever yea I burn for sooth'
My passion for you is intense and real
Captain Smith and Pocahontas
Captain Smith and Pocahontas had a romantic relationship
Had a very mad affair
Their relationship was passionate and intense
When her daddy tried to kill him
When Pocahontas' father attempted to harm Captain Smith
She said 'Daddy, o, don't you dare
Pocahontas begged her father not to harm Captain Smith
He gives me fever with his kisses
Captain Smith's kisses ignited intense passion in Pocahontas
Fever when he holds me tight
Pocahontas felt intense passion when in Captain Smith's embrace
Fever, I'm his misses,
Pocahontas is in love with Captain Smith and is his 'misses'
Oh Daddy, won't you treat him right'
Pocahontas wants her father to treat Captain Smith well
Now you've listened to my story
I have finished telling my tale
Here's the point that I have made
The point I have been trying to make is this
Cats were born to give chicks fever
Cats have always been a source of passion for humans
Be it Fahrenheit or centigrade
No matter the unit of measurement
They give you fever when you kiss them
Even cats can ignite passion when kissed
Fever if you live and learn
Intense passion can be experienced with age and wisdom
Fever till you sizzle
The passion one feels can be so intense that they 'sizzle'
What a lovely way to burn
Despite the intensity, experiencing passion is beautiful
What a lovely way to burn
Despite the intensity, experiencing passion is beautiful
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Royalty Network, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Sentric Music, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Eddie Cooley, Otis Blackwell
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
John Maguire
on Wherever You Are
This song was probably written by Graham Gouldman and Andrew Gold