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.
Happy New Year
Michael Ball Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And the fireworks are through
Here we are, me and you
Feeling lost and feeling blue
It's the end of the party
And the morning seems so grey
So unlike yesterday
Now's the time for us to say...
Happy new year
Happy new year
May we all have a vision now and then
Of a world where every neighbour is a friend
Happy new year
Happy new year
May we all have our hopes, our will to try
If we don't we might as well lay down and die
You and I
Sometimes I see
How the brave new world arrives
And I see how it thrives
In the ashes of our lives
Oh yes, man is a fool
And he thinks he'll be okay
Dragging on, feet of clay
Never knowing he's astray
Keeps on going anyway...
Happy new year
Happy new year
May we all have a vision now and then
Of a world where every neighbour is a friend
Happy new year
Happy new year
May we all have our hopes, our will to try
If we don't we might as well lay down and die
You and I
Seems to me now
That the dreams we had before
Are all dead, nothing more
Than confetti on the floor
It's the end of a decade
In another ten years time
Who can say what we'll find
What lies waiting down the line
In the end of ninety-nine...
Happy new year
Happy new year
May we all have a vision now and then
Of a world where every neighbour is a friend
Happy new year
Happy new year
May we all have our hopes, our will to try
If we don't we might as well lay down and die
You and I
The lyrics of Michael Ball's "Happy New Year" explore the sentiments that many of us feel at the end of a year, as we reflect on the past and wonder about the future. The opening lines acknowledge the end of a celebration: "No more champagne / And the fireworks are through." The singer then contemplates the feelings of the present moment: "Feeling lost and feeling blue / It's the end of the party / And the morning seems so grey / So unlike yesterday." The song then takes a hopeful turn, as the singer sees the new year as a time to envision a better world and strive towards it: "May we all have a vision now and then / Of a world where every neighbour is a friend." The song also recognizes the human tendency to make mistakes, but encourages us to keep striving towards our goals: "Oh yes, man is a fool / And he thinks he'll be okay / Dragging on, feet of clay / Never knowing he's astray / Keeps on going anyway."
Overall, "Happy New Year" is a song that acknowledges the mixed emotions that many of us feel at the end of a year, and encourages us to look forward with hope and vision. It's a reminder that, in spite of our flaws and mistakes, we can do better and create a better world for ourselves and those around us.
Line by Line Meaning
No more champagne
The festivities have ended and the celebratory drinks are gone
And the fireworks are through
The fireworks display is finished
Here we are, me and you
The singer is speaking to a companion
Feeling lost and feeling blue
Both the artist and their companion are feeling sad and alone
It's the end of the party
The celebration has ended
And the morning seems so grey
The morning after the celebration feels dull and uninspiring
So unlike yesterday
Yesterday was filled with joy and life, today is not the same
Now's the time for us to say...
The singer is about to deliver a message
Happy new year
Wishing a joyful start to the new year
May we all have a vision now and then
Expressing a hope that people will have a clear understanding of what they want in life
Of a world where every neighbour is a friend
Desiring a world where people treat each other with kindness and respect
Happy new year
Wishing a joyful start to the new year
May we all have our hopes, our will to try
Hoping that everyone has motivation to pursue their dreams
If we don't we might as well lay down and die
Suggesting that without dreams and aspirations, life is not worth living
You and I
Emphasizing a connection with the companion
Sometimes I see
The singer occasionally recognizes
How the brave new world arrives
How progress is made in society
And I see how it thrives
How such progress flourishes and develops
In the ashes of our lives
Despite the destruction left in the wake of change
Oh yes, man is a fool
Human beings are imprudent
And he thinks he'll be okay
And thinks life will go on as normal, despite the changes happening around them
Dragging on, feet of clay
Continuing to move forward, even when it is difficult
Never knowing he's astray
Without realizing they may be lost or misguided
Keeps on going anyway...
Continues to journey forward, in spite of any doubts or obstacles
Seems to me now
The singer now believes
That the dreams we had before
The aspirations from the past
Are all dead, nothing more
Have all vanished and are no longer attainable
Than confetti on the floor
Are now reduced to nothing more than scraps on the ground
It's the end of a decade
The end of a ten-year period
In another ten years time
Next decade
Who can say what we'll find
There is no way to know what tomorrow will bring
What lies waiting down the line
What future events are coming
In the end of ninety-nine...
The end of the year 1999
Happy new year
Wishing a joyful start to the new year
Happy new year
Wishing a joyful start to the new year
May we all have a vision now and then
Expressing a hope that people will have a clear understanding of what they want in life
Of a world where every neighbour is a friend
Desiring a world where people treat each other with kindness and respect
Happy new year
Wishing a joyful start to the new year
Happy new year
Wishing a joyful start to the new year
May we all have our hopes, our will to try
Hoping that everyone has motivation to pursue their dreams
If we don't we might as well lay down and die
Suggesting that without dreams and aspirations, life is not worth living
You and I
Emphasizing a connection with the companion
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Jonathan D. Larson
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
John Maguire
on Wherever You Are
This song was probably written by Graham Gouldman and Andrew Gold