Anthony Dominick Benedetto, known professionally as Tony Bennett, is an Ame… Read Full Bio ↴Anthony Dominick Benedetto, known professionally as Tony Bennett, is an American singer of traditional pop standards, big band, show tunes and jazz. He is also a painter, having created works under his birth name that are on permanent public display in several institutions. He is the founder of the Frank Sinatra School of the Arts in Astoria, Queens, New York.

Bennett began singing at an early age. He fought in the final stages of World War II as a U.S. Army infantryman in the European Theater. Afterward, he developed his singing technique, signed with Columbia Records and had his first number-one popular song with "Because of You" in 1951. Several tracks such as "Rags to Riches" followed in early 1953. He then refined his approach to encompass jazz singing. He reached an artistic peak in the late 1950s with albums such as The Beat of My Heart and Basie Swings, Bennett Sings. In 1962, Bennett recorded his signature song, "I Left My Heart in San Francisco". His career and personal life experienced an extended downturn during the height of the rock music era. Bennett staged a comeback in the late 1980s and 1990s, putting out gold record albums again and expanding his reach to the MTV generation while keeping his musical style intact.

Bennett continued to create popular and critically praised work into the 21st century. He attracted acclaim for his collaborations with Lady Gaga, which began with the album Cheek to Cheek (2014); the two performers toured together to promote the album throughout 2014 and 2015. With the release of the duo's second album, Love for Sale (2021), Bennett broke the individual record for the longest span of top-10 albums on the Billboard 200 chart for any living artist; his first top-10 record was I Left My Heart in San Francisco in 1962. Bennett also broke the Guinness World Record for the oldest person to release an album of new material, at the age of 95 years and 60 days.

Bennett has amassed numerous accolades throughout his career, including 19 Grammy Awards and two Primetime Emmy Awards. He was named an NEA Jazz Master and a Kennedy Center Honoree. Bennett has sold over 50 million records worldwide.

In February 2021, it was revealed that Bennett was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease in 2016. Due to the slow progression of his illness, he continued to record, tour, and perform until his retirement from concert performances in August 2021 due to physical challenges.

Bennett died in New York City on Friday, July 21, 2023, at the age of 96. His death was announced by his publicist.

Reflections
Tony Bennett Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Long, long ago
I gave my heart away
Wanting love so
And in naïveté
I dreamed, and dreamed, oh
How sweet life seemed
So long ago
With summer every day

How could I know
Some loves need games to play
My world fell flat
When love said, "That's that"
Love may burn
We live and learn
We find every answer
Out of the blue
Life was serene again
You wanted me
The world turned green again
You held me fast

Love was mine
At last

Overall Meaning

"Reflections" by Tony Bennett is a song about the ups and downs of love. At the beginning of the song, the singer sings about how they gave their heart away a long time ago, hoping to find love. They dreamed of happiness and how sweet life would be, but they were naive and did not realize that some loves need games to play. When their love ended, their world fell flat, and they were heartbroken. However, the singer goes on to say that they have learned from their experience with love and have come out stronger. They have found answers and have learned to live and love again. In the end, they find happiness with someone who loves them back, and life becomes serene again.

The song has a reflective and nostalgic tone, which is supported by the dreamy melody and lyrics. It seems to be a commentary on the bittersweet nature of love, where one must experience heartbreak and disappointment before finding true happiness. The song's message is one of hope, as it suggests that even though love can be painful, it is worth the risk to feel the joy of loving and being loved in return.

Line by Line Meaning

Long, long ago
A long time ago

I gave my heart away
I fell in love

Wanting love so
I wanted love very much

And in naïveté
And being inexperienced

I dreamed, and dreamed, oh
I had great dreams

How sweet life seemed
Life seemed wonderful

So long ago
It was a long time ago

With summer every day
Every day felt like summer

How could I know
I didn't know

Some loves need games to play
Some relationships are more complicated

My world fell flat
I was heartbroken