There are (at least) two artists named Michael Ball: Michael Ball (1946) of… Read Full Bio ↴There are (at least) two artists named Michael Ball: Michael Ball (1946) of Manchester, a British composer, and Michael Ashley Ball (1962), a British actor and singer.

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.

I'll Be There
Michael Ball Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

When the bad times come
And the four winds blow
Ill be there for you - if ever you call

When the road is long
And the breeze gets too strong
Ill be there for you - if ever you call

If ever you feel the rain
And everyone feels the rain - sometimes
Remember to call my name
And Ill be there

When the night is long
And you need to hold someone
Ill be there for you - if ever you call

If ever you feel the rain
And everyone feels the rain - sometimes
Remember to call my name
And Ill be there

Ill be there
When you call me Ill be there
Anywhere
If you call me I will be there

When the night is cold
And you need someone to hold
Ill be there for you - if ever you call

When you need to know the truth
I will whisper I love you
And be there for you - if you call
If you feel the rain
And everyone feels the rain - sometimes
Remember to call my name
And Ill be there

Ill be there
When you call me Ill be there

Anywhere
If you call me I will be there

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Michael Ball's song "I'll Be There" is a reassuring promise to always be there for someone when they're going through tough times. The opening lines, "When the bad times come and the four winds blow, I'll be there for you - if ever you call," sets the tone for the rest of the song. The singer offers their unconditional support to their loved one, promising to be their shoulder to lean on, especially when they need it the most. The lyrics are powerful, touching, and poignant, as they convey a deep understanding of the challenges life throws at us.

The second verse, "If ever you feel the rain and everyone feels the rain - sometimes, remember to call my name and I'll be there," emphasizes the singer's willingness to help their loved one, no matter what circumstances they're in. The song's chorus, "I'll be there when you call me, I'll be there anywhere if you call me, I will be there," reassures the listener that they can always count on the singer to be there for them, no matter where they are or what they're going through. The lyrics are powerful, emotional, and inspiring, and they're a testament to the strength of love and compassion.

Overall, "I'll Be There" is a beautiful song that speaks to the power of love and support. It reinforces the idea that we all need someone to lean on, especially during difficult times, and the singer's promise to be there for their loved one is a powerful reminder that we're never truly alone.

Line by Line Meaning

When the bad times come
Whenever you face difficult moments

And the four winds blow
And challenges come from all directions

Ill be there for you - if ever you call
I promise to be there for you whenever you need me

When the road is long
When the journey ahead seems endless

And the breeze gets too strong
When even the gentlest of setbacks seems too much to bear

If ever you feel the rain
If ever you feel down and out

And everyone feels the rain - sometimes
When it's normal to feel low sometimes

Remember to call my name
Please don't forget that you can always count on me

And Ill be there
I'll be there to help you feel better

When the night is long
When the darkness seems never-ending

And you need to hold someone
And you need a shoulder to cry on