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.
Memory
Michael Ball Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Not a sound from the pavement
Has the moon lost her memory?
She is smiling alone
In the lamplight
Withered leaves collected at my feet
And the wind begins to blow
Memory
All alone in the moonlight
I can smile at the old days
I was beautiful then
I remember
The time I knew what happiness was
Let the memory live again
Every street lamp
Seems to beat
A fatalistic warning
Someone mutters
And the street lamp gutters
And soon
It will be morning
Daylight,
I must wait for the sunrise
I must think of a new life
And I mustn't give in
When the dawn comes
Tonight will be a memory too
And a new day will begin
Burnt out ends of smoky days
The stale cold smell of morning
The streetlamp dies,
Another night is over
Another day is dawning
Touch me, it's so easy to leave me
All alone with the memory
Of my days in the sun
If you touch me
You'll understand what happiness is
Look, a new day has begun
The lyrics to Michael Ball's song "Memory" explore the feeling of nostalgia and the desire to relive moments from the past. The opening lines set a melancholic tone, as the singer describes the emptiness of the streets at midnight and speculates about whether the moon has forgotten its own memories. The withered leaves at the singer's feet and the blowing wind evoke a sense of decay and transience.
The chorus introduces the theme of memory, which provides a source of comfort and solace for the singer. Despite the passage of time and the loss of beauty and happiness, the singer can still "smile at the old days" and long for those moments to "live again." The fatalistic warning of the street lamps and the muttering of someone unknown suggest a sense of foreboding and uncertainty about the future.
The final verses offer a glimmer of hope, as the singer resolves to wait for the sunrise and think of a new life. Even as the night ends and the streetlamp dies, a new day begins, and the possibility of happiness and human connection remains. The last lines are a poignant plea for human touch and understanding, and the promise that a new day brings the chance for new experiences and memories.
Line by Line Meaning
Midnight
The start of the night when not much is happening
Not a sound from the pavement
The noticeable silence and lack of noise from the street
Has the moon lost her memory?
Wondering if the moon has forgotten something important
She is smiling alone
A description of the moon's forlorn expression
In the lamplight
Illuminated by the light from a streetlight
Withered leaves collected at my feet
Dead leaves that have fallen from a tree and are now at my feet
And the wind begins to blow
The start of a light breeze moving the leaves and possibly other things around
Memory
A recollection of past events
All alone in the moonlight
By myself and the moon is the main light source
I can smile at the old days
I can be happy when I reminisce about happier times in my past
I was beautiful then
I used to be physically attractive and confident in my own skin
I remember
I recall a specific moment/event that was happy
The time I knew what happiness was
At one point, I understood what true happiness really was
Let the memory live again
The desire to relive that happy moment again
Every street lamp
Each street light
Seems to beat
The light pulsates and gives off a flicker effect
A fatalistic warning
A sense of doom conveyed by the flickering streetlights
Someone mutters
An indistinguishable voice can be heard speaking in a low tone
And the street lamp gutters
The streetlight flickers one last time before going out
And soon
In a short amount of time
It will be morning
The night will soon come to an end and daylight will begin
Daylight
The start of the day when the sun comes up in the sky
I must wait for the sunrise
I have to be patient and wait for the sun to fully rise
I must think of a new life
I have to consider the possibility of starting over
And I mustn't give in
I can't allow myself to give up or feel hopeless
When the dawn comes
As soon as daylight starts to creep in and the sun is on the horizon
Tonight will be a memory too
This current night will also become a memory
And a new day will begin
A new day full of possibilities and hope will commence
Burnt out ends of smoky days
The remnants of smoke from fires that have burned out
The stale cold smell of morning
The musty and unpleasant odor of leftover smoke lingering in the morning air
The streetlamp dies
The streetlight goes out completely
Another night is over
Another night has come to a close
Another day is dawning
A brand new day is beginning to emerge
Touch me, it's so easy to leave me
I feel vulnerable and am easily abandoned or neglected
All alone with the memory
By myself with only my memories to keep me company
Of my days in the sun
Remembering the happy times I spent in the sunshine
If you touch me
If someone reaches out to me and connects with me
You'll understand what happiness is
They'll truly see and comprehend what true happiness is
Look, a new day has begun
Exclamatory statement about the new day that's starting
Lyrics © Kanjian Music, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Andrew Lloyd Webber, Trevor Nunn, T.S. Eliot, Zdenek Hruby
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Mary Swanson
Awesome. Just found Michael during Covid. Absolutely love his voice and passion for singing.
Helen Hamada
I too! I'm in love with his voice (including his dimples) and his passionate rendition of many of his recorded songs. Would be great if he makes his way to Hawaii to perform one day!
Barbara A. Brearley
Michael has such a unique and beautiful way of sharing his gift with us. He is a true geneous and joyful singer. Thank you Michael.
Ena Schoeman
I just love his voice. He can sing any song and it's more beautiful as the man .I just love his curls and dimples.
Monti Himelstein
My favorite version of this song 🎵 ❤. Michael seems to feel whatever he sings. So talented and equally loved.
Tommy Wisdom
I'm so glad he decided to do this song. Wonderful; I'll listen again many times!
Suzanne Benz
Michael: your voice is wonderful! You add so much passion! You are just DEAR!
Leticia Stewart
What a handsome man and his voice makes him even more!!
Joan Gunning
So much passion in his voice ❤️❤️❤️
Nancy Rodriguez Pardo
He has a wonderful, warm, expressive voice.
Beautiful! ♥