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.
Give Me Love
Michael Ball Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Don't give me water, you could give me wine
Don't give me the sun if it won't shine
Give me love, give me love
Don't give me sand, it slips through my fingertips
Why kiss my cheek, you could kiss my lips
Don't give me words that don't mean a thing
Give me love, give me love
You say you'll never love again
Love has caused you all the pain
I say come this way and see what I'll give you
I'll give you love, I'll give you love
Don't give me an ocean, I can't swim
Don't play games, I just can't win
Don't give me it all, to take away
Give me love, give me love
Say you need me
Say you want me
It's not that hard
All that you've got to do is reach out and give me love
And give me love
The lyrics for Michael Ball's song "Give Me Love" seem to express an individual's desire for pure and unconditional love above everything else. The artist pleads with their lover not to offer challenging or futile endeavors such as mountains to climb, water that ultimately satisfies only for a moment or sun that doesn't shine but instead to give love.
The words, "Don't give me sand, it slips through my fingertips, why kiss my cheek, you could kiss my lips," show how the singer is seeking affection and passion in their relationship, not just emptiness. They want someone to express their love and not just use meaningless words.
The artist acknowledges the pain that love can bring, but they believe that love is worth it. The line - "you say you'll never love again, love has caused you all the pain. I say come this way and see what I'll give you, I'll give you love" - conveys the singer’s confidence that their love is unique and profound.
In conclusion, the lyrics of "Give Me Love" tell a story of an individual's longing for true love that satisfies their soul, and encompasses everything they need. They want their lover's feelings and expressions to be genuine, and the passion to be tangible, not just words.
Line by Line Meaning
Don't give me mountains that I can't climb
I don't need challenges that are too difficult for me to overcome
Don't give me water, you could give me wine
I want something more valuable than just the basics, I want something special and meaningful
Don't give me the sun if it won't shine
I don't want something promised, then not delivered. I want something real and reliable
Give me love, give me love
But what I really want is love, the simple yet powerful force that brings joy and fulfillment to life
Don't give me sand, it slips through my fingertips
I don't want something fleeting and temporary, something that will disappear too easily
Why kiss my cheek, you could kiss my lips
I want something more intimate, more passionate, something that shows true affection and desire
Don't give me words that don't mean a thing
I don't want empty promises or meaningless chatter, I want something sincere and meaningful
Give me love, give me love
What I truly long for is love, the powerful force that brings meaning and purpose to life
You say you'll never love again
You have been hurt before and don't want to risk being hurt again
Love has caused you all the pain
You have suffered because of love and don't want to experience it again
I say come this way and see what I'll give you
I offer you a different, better kind of love, one that is truly genuine and unconditional
I'll give you love, I'll give you love
I offer you the most precious gift of all, true, unselfish love, that will bring you happiness and fulfillment
Don't give me an ocean, I can't swim
I don't want something too overwhelming or beyond my capabilities, I want something I can enjoy and handle
Don't play games, I just can't win
I don't want to play games or engage in superficial, meaningless activities, I want something authentic and real
Don't give me it all, to take away
I don't want to be given something, then have it taken away, leaving me feeling hurt and deceived
Give me love, give me love
What I truly desire is love, the one thing that can bring unending joy and fulfillment to my life
Say you need me
Express your desire and willingness to have me in your life, to support and care for me
Say you want me
Express your genuine feelings of attraction and desire for me
It's not that hard
It isn't difficult or complicated to express your true feelings, just be honest
All that you've got to do is reach out and give me love
To truly make me happy, all you have to do is offer me your sincere and unselfish love, and I will reciprocate
And give me love
Love is the only thing that truly matters, that can truly transform and enrich our lives
Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC, Peermusic Publishing
Written by: HERBERT ARMSTRONG, NICK LACEY, RORY JOHN MCFARLANE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@shepsgrandma
How many women love this cutie
@joyceblandford9968
Lots do
@stevemattero1471
At least 8
@esperanzateman5821
Those dimples make me crazy! Love you, Michael!
@kathypichette8840
Me too
@MrCrowebobby
@@kathypichette8840 Me three.
@isabelmoran5693
Me❤❤❤❤
@millieonorato4409
I look forward each evening to hear Michael sing, I thank God I found him in the internet, because he makes me happy. His voice, and the way he moves and sings and puts his heart into each songs is awesome.
@peggyfulbright2477
He's great!
@deniseadams1703
He certainly seems to have got “a love that’s true” with Cathy! Over 30 years together now. Really genuine and lovely man.