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.
Stormy Weather
Michael Ball Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
There's no sun up in the sky
Stormy weather
Since my man and I ain't together
Keeps raining all the time
Life is bare
Gloom and misery everywhere
Just can't get my poor old self together
I'm weary all the time, the time
So weary all of the time
When he went away
The blues walked in and met me
If he stays away, old rocking chair will get me
All I do is pray
The lord above will let me
Walk in the sun once more
Can't go on
Everything I had is gone
Stormy weather
Since my man and I ain't together
Keeps raining all the time
Keeps raining all of the time
I walk around,
Heavy-hearted and sad
Night comes around
And I'm still feeling bad
Rain pourin' down
Blinding every hope I had
This pitter 'n patter 'n beatin' 'n spatterin' drivin' me mad
Love, love, love, love
This misery will be the end of me
When he went away
The blues walked in and met me
If he stays away, old rocking chair will get me
All I do is pray
The lord above will let me
Walk in the sun once more
Can't go on
Everything I had is gone
Stormy weather
Since my man and I ain't together
Keeps raining all the time, the time
Keeps raining all the time
"Stormy Weather" is a song written by Harold Arlen and Ted Koehler that has become a classic not only in the US but throughout the world. Michael Ball's cover of this song beautifully delivers the message of lost love and misery with soulful emotion. The lyrics depict the heartache and sorrow one feels when separated from their significant other. The constant rain and gloomy weather seem to symbolize the sadness and despair the singer feels as they struggle to come to grips with the loss of their love. The lyrics are poignant and raw, leaving the listener feeling the pain and sorrow that the singer is feeling.
The singer's longing for their lover is evident throughout the song. They pray to the Lord above to bring them back together, to let them walk in the sun once more. The line "If he stays away, old rocking chair will get me" also highlights the despair the singer feels, longing for the warmth and comfort that their lost love once provided. The repeated phrase "Keeps raining all the time" serves to emphasize the singer's pain and feelings of hopelessness.
In summary, "Stormy Weather" is a beautiful song that speaks to the brokenhearted. Michael Ball's interpretation of the classic is a touching tribute to the original and is sure to pull at the heartstrings of anyone who listens to it.
Line by Line Meaning
Don't know why
I am unaware of the reason
There's no sun up in the sky
The sky is filled with dark clouds blocking the sun
Stormy weather
The current weather is stormy
Since my man and I ain't together
The weather has become stormy since we parted ways
Keeps raining all the time
It is constantly raining every day
Life is bare
My life is dull and meaningless
Gloom and misery everywhere
There is darkness and sadness all around me
Just can't get my poor old self together
I am unable to gather myself and feel put together
I'm weary all the time, the time
I am tired and exhausted all the time
So weary all of the time
I am extremely tired and exhausted all the time
When he went away
When he left me
The blues walked in and met me
Sorrow and sadness filled me up
If he stays away, old rocking chair will get me
If he doesn't come back, I'll grow old and frail waiting for him
All I do is pray
All I can do is ask and hope for a miracle
The lord above will let me
God above will grant me the wish
Walk in the sun once more
I'll be happy and feel alive again
Can't go on
I'm unable to continue living this way
Everything I had is gone
All my happiness and possessions were taken away
I walk around
I wander aimlessly
Heavy-hearted and sad
I'm weighed down by sorrow and sadness
Night comes around
The nightfall approaches
And I'm still feeling bad
I still feel sad and depressed
Rain pourin' down
The downpour of rain continues
Blinding every hope I had
It shatters and destroys all my hopes and aspirations
This pitter 'n patter 'n beatin' 'n spatterin' drivin' me mad
The monotony and continuous rhythm of the rain is driving me insane
Love, love, love, love
Love is the cause of all this pain
This misery will be the end of me
This sadness and despair will eventually kill me
Since my man and I ain't together
The reason for the bad weather remains the same, which is us not being together
Keeps raining all the time, the time
It continues to rain without stopping all the time
Keeps raining all of the time
The rain does not stop at all
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, S.A. MUSIC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: FRANCOIS JOSEPH CHARLES SALABERT, HAROLD ARLEN, TED KOEHLER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
h7opolo
added to my extensive playlist of "stormy weather" covers. congrats. you're in there with all the greats.