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.

My Arms Are Strong
Michael Ball Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Come to me my darling child
Is this world upsetting you
I'll hold you in my arms a while
Nothing's so bad
Don't you know that I will protect you
Protect you

My arms are strong,

I will carry you home forever
My arms are strong,
I will carry you home forever
Some have let you down I know
No one hurts like friends
So wear my love like winter clothes
And weather the storm
And weather the winter again and again

My arms are strong,
I will carry you home forever
My arms are strong,
I will carry you home forever

And if you find one day
You're not feeling right
And if you wake up
And you just can't sleep at night
And if you turn around
And no one's there, no one's there
I'll be yours
Forever and ever

Nothing's so bad
Don't you know I will protect you, protect you

My arms are strong,
I will carry you home forever
My arms are strong,
I will carry you home forever
Carry you home

My arms are strong,
I will carry you home forever

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Michael Ball's song "My Arms Are Strong" are a heartfelt assurance to a loved one in distress. The song starts with the singer asking their "darling child" if the world is upsetting them and offering to hold them in their arms. The singer then goes on to assure their loved one that they'll protect them, even if others have let them down. The chorus of the song repeats the affirmation that the singer's "arms are strong" and they'll "carry you home forever." The lyrics then conclude with a statement that the singer will always be there for their loved one, even when they feel alone.

The song appears to be a comforting lullaby or ballad, with the gentle, reassuring tone of the lyrics and the usage of soft instruments like pianos and violins. The song's overall message is directly conveyed by the lyrics of the chorus, in which Michael Ball's voice elevates in pitch to emphasize his point.

"My Arms Are Strong" has become Michael Ball's signature song, often performed during his concerts and crusades for charity work. The single's official music video features images of Ball recording the song in the studio, interspersed with footage of people in need of help or comfort. The song was so popular upon its initial release in 1992 that it peaked at number 13 on the UK singles chart and even charted in Sweden and Belgium.

In summary, the lyrics to "My Arms Are Strong" are a powerful message of devotion and support, expressing a parent or carer's willingness to provide comfort to a loved one. The song's emotional and reassuring words as well as its melodic and harmonious tune have made it a timeless favorite for many people worldwide.

Line by Line Meaning

Come to me my darling child
Michael Ball invites his loved one to come to him, uses a term of endearment 'darling child'.

Is this world upsetting you
Michael Ball is concerned about his loved one and wants to know if the world is causing them distress.

I'll hold you in my arms a while, Nothing's so bad
Michael Ball pledges to comfort his loved one and states that nothing is too terrible; it can’t be changed.

Don't you know that I will protect you Protect you
Michael Ball reassures his loved one that he will always keep them protected.

My arms are strong, I will carry you home forever
Michael Ball reminds his loved one that he has the strength to support them and carry them home with him.

Some have let you down I know, No one hurts like friends
Michael Ball acknowledges that some people the loved one trusted let them down and highlights that being hurt by friends hurts the most.

So wear my love like winter clothes, And weather the storm And weather the winter again and again
Michael Ball encourages his loved one to draw strength always from the love he provides no matter the situation they go through.

And if you find one day You're not feeling right And if you wake up And you just can't sleep at night And if you turn around And no one's there, no one's there I'll be yours
Michael Ball shows that he'll always be available for his loved one, even if nobody else is around to help.

Forever and ever Nothing's so bad Don't you know I will protect you, protect you
Michael Ball reminds his loved one of his enduring commitment to keep them protected and nothing is so terrible.

My arms are strong, I will carry you home forever Carry you home My arms are strong, I will carry you home forever
Michael Ball repeats that he will never tire to carry his loved one home to himself.

Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS

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