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.
You Made Me Love You
Michael Ball Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I didn't want to do it
I didn't want to do it
You made me love you
And all the time you knew it
I guess you always knew it.
You made me happy sometimes
But there were times dear
Oh you made me feel so bad
You made me cry 'cause
I didn't want to tell you
I didn't want to tell you
I need a love that's true
Yes I do, deed I do, you know I do
I don't care what happens
When the whole world stops
As far as I'm concerned
You'll always be the tops cause
You know you made me love you
You made me cry 'cause
I didn't want to tell you
I didn't want to tell you
I need a love that's true
Yes I do, deed I do, you know I do
Gimme, gimme, gimme, what I cry for
You got the kinda kisses
That I would die for
You know you made me love you
Oh, you know you made me love you
The song "You Made Me Love You" by Michael Ball is a classic love song that is interpreted in different ways by listeners. However, to me, the song talks about how the singer fell in love with someone who wasn't really their type. At first, they were reluctant to admit their feelings, as they didn't want to love this person. But the more they spent time with them, the more their defenses crumbled, and they were left with no choice but to confess that they had fallen in love. The singer thanks the person for bringing in moments of happiness in their life but, at times, made them feel sad as well.
Furthermore, the singer is aware that the person knew they had fallen in love with them all along. The lines "I guess you always knew it" indicates that the singer felt like the person knew they had feelings for them but waited for them to confess. The lines "I don't care what happens when the whole world stops, as far as I'm concerned, you'll always be the tops" confirm that the singer is head over heels in love with this person and nothing else matters.
Overall, "You Made Me Love You" is a beautiful love song that talks about how love can happen unexpectedly, and sometimes you don't have any control over it. The song expresses the joy, the pain, the heartache, and the happiness that come with being in love.
Line by Line Meaning
You made me love you
I fell in love with you because of your actions
I didn't want to do it
I didn't intend to fall in love with you
I didn't want to do it
I didn't intend to fall in love with you
And all the time you knew it
You were aware of my feelings towards you
You made me happy sometimes
You brought joy to my life on occasions
You made me glad
You made me happy
But there were times dear
However, there were times when
Oh you made me feel so bad
You made me feel terrible on those occasions
You made me cry 'cause
You caused me to cry because
I didn't want to tell you
I was hesitant to reveal to you
I need a love that's true
I desire a love that is genuine
Yes I do, deed I do, you know I do
I'm serious about my need for a genuine love
I don't care what happens
Regardless of what occurs
When the whole world stops
Even if everything comes to a halt
As far as I'm concerned
From my perspective
You'll always be the tops cause
You'll always be the best because
Gimme, gimme, gimme, what I cry for
Give me the things I crave for
You got the kinda kisses
You have the type of kisses
That I would die for
Kisses that I cherish
Oh, you know you made me love you
You know that you are the reason for my love for you
Lyrics © Royalty Network, BROADWAY MUSIC CORPORATION, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Joseph Mccarthy, James Monaco
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@shepsgrandma
How many women love this cutie
@joyceblandford9968
Lots do
@stevemattero1471
At least 8
@esperanzateman5821
Those dimples make me crazy! Love you, Michael!
@kathypichette8840
Me too
@MrCrowebobby
@@kathypichette8840 Me three.
@isabelmoran5693
Me❤❤❤❤
@millieonorato4409
I look forward each evening to hear Michael sing, I thank God I found him in the internet, because he makes me happy. His voice, and the way he moves and sings and puts his heart into each songs is awesome.
@peggyfulbright2477
He's great!
@deniseadams1703
He certainly seems to have got “a love that’s true” with Cathy! Over 30 years together now. Really genuine and lovely man.