Welcome to my music blog - The Soundtrack of My Life!

Many of you have asked me “What’s with all the music, Dr. Weiss?” Well, as I’ve told some of you:

I personally call every surgery patient on the evening of surgery just to make sure they are doing well and have no questions that need answering. Occasionally, I would be at the piano and play a song that we had listened to that day. I gradually realized that I wanted to go through all the music that I had played during my life and at least start making a list of the songs that I had recently played.

Well, there are now about 600 songs on the list and I realized that it in a way it represented the ‘soundtrack of my life’! And that’s how I got the idea to record these songs and share them with my patients, friends and family. After I record them they will reside here, for easy access.

Music is truth. It’s honest. It’s really the first social media, where in a way, people could share their souls directly. And isn’t that what the purpose of social media is and why it’s so popular - trying to share who you really are, as completely and directly as possible?

Finally, it has been (and will continue to be) a genuine pleasure sharing these different songs with you and I really appreciate all of your positive feedback!!

Musical Genres

Footprints

Footprints in the Sands of Time

January 1, 2023

Footprints on the Sands of Time Adapted from “A Psalm of Life” by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow New Year’s Day is always a moment during which many of us reflect on the passage of time. This year we have also been constantly reminded of our own mortality. So, it’s particularly appropriate that I present this song to you today, as it was something I wrote earlier during the pandemic. ‘Footprints on the Sands of Time’ is a phrase from “A Psalm of Life” by Longfellow, describing the legacy that individuals leave behind after they pass away. The poem attempts to describe nothing less than the purpose of life. In Longfellow’s optimistic view, though our body dies, the soul remains immortal. When we strive to lead ethical and moral lives of consequence, we will leave behind ‘footprints’ that others can follow as they pursue their own exceptional lives. Wishing you a Happy and Healthy New Year! Enjoy, Dr. Weiss “Music is the language spoken by angels.” Longfellow

Russian children

Russians (2022)

June 1, 2022

Russian Children (they look like our children, don’t they?) ‘I Hope the Russians Love Their Children Too’ On this day (June 1) 42 years ago, Sting released this song on his first solo album. Sting wrote the lyrics to this 1985 song but borrowed the central theme from the second movement (‘Romance’) of Serge Prokofiev’s “Lieutenant Kijé Suite,” which begins at the 4:20 mark of this orchestral recording. Sting reharmonized Prokofiev’s theme by adding a short but profoundly unique bass line (in addition to creating a powerful original but thematically similar melody.) Prokofiev himself is said to have taken the theme from an old Russian folk song called “The Little Grey Dove is Cooing.”  [In playing this song, I’ve further discovered another possible source. Try singing the Christmas carol ‘God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen’ (originating in the 1650s) over Sting’s lyrics.] With the current invasion of Ukraine, Prokofiev’s song is especially remarkable. In one of life’s extraordinary coincidences, Prokofiev was born in Sontsivka in 1891, in the Donetsk Oblast (region or state) of Ukraine – the very center of the area in eastern Ukraine that Putin is claiming to protect and liberate in 2022! It’s just 50 miles north of Mariupol, where the greatest […]

The everly brothers

All I Want To Do Is Dream

August 22, 2021

The Everly Brothers: Phil and Don (Press arrow to play) Don Everly passed away today at age 84.  They were slightly before my time, but I sure loved this song.  A lot of other people did also, because this 1958 song is ranked No. 141 on the Rolling Stone magazine’s list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.  Thanks for the memories of all of the times that I’ve enjoyed listening to it. Rest in peace, guys. Dr. Weiss

The Scream

Help! John Lennon’s cri de couer

July 19, 2021

Help!   Dear family of patients, On this summer day July 19, 1965 – 56 years ago, the Beatles released the single “Help!” (now ranked at number 29 on the Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.) I remember listening to it over and over again with my brother in his room on our portable 45 rpm record player.  I also remember wrestling with my brother while listening to the B-side “I’m Down” (OK, I was 12 and my brother was 10.) I sent you this song as an Earth Day video a few months ago, but looking back, I now feel that the importance of the Earth Day message as well as the accompanying visuals (not to mention my amateur vocals) detracted from simply enjoying the beautiful sound of this arrangement and instrumentation (Bösendorfer Grand piano sample on the Yamaha Clavinova.) I can’t quite put my finger on it, but the aural quality and chord changes alone, sans lyrics, seem to express all the existential angst of our current global pandemic moment, while improbably being strangely soothing at the same time. Lennon said that Help! was one of his favorite Beatles songs and “one of the only true songs he ever wrote.” I’ve chosen […]

Leon Russell at microphone

A Song for You

November 13, 2020

A Song For You Leon Russell passed away on this day 4 years ago. In my opinion, this is one of the loveliest love songs ever written. Believe it or not (it's true), I once put on an international multi-specialty medical conference in Deer Valley and I had Leon Russell perform. Pretty crazy, eh? Enjoy, Dr. Weiss Bosendorfer piano sound - For this recording I’m playing a Yamaha Clavinova – which has the same keyboard action as a traditional acoustic piano, but there are no strings. Pressing a key activates (in this case) a sound which was sampled from a Bösendorfer Imperial Concert Grand piano. Try listening to it with a good set of headphones! It sounds better than any piano I've ever played!!
George Harrison 1974 scaled

All Things Must Pass

April 8, 2020

“All Things Must Pass” was a song written 50 years ago by George Harrison. I didn’t previously know this, but the lyrics were originally written by Lao-Tzu (ca. 6th century BC), who is traditionally considered the author of the Tao Te Ching and the founder of Taoism. Timothy Leary, a Harvard professor and advocate for the use of LSD to expand consciousness, compiled his version of the poem from a collection of English translations. George Harrison then modified Leary’s version and added the music. I’ve slightly modified the lyrics for this global pandemic version and have found that it’s given me inspiration, perspective and optimism in this dark and challenging time.  I hope it does the same for you. Enjoy, Dr. Weiss PS  FYI (and for the more philosophically minded), here is the rest of the poem by Lao-Tzu: What always changes? Earth...sky...thunder...mountain...water...wind...fire...lake... These change And if these do not last Do man's visions last? Do man's illusions? Take things as they come All things pass Bosendorfer piano sound - For this recording I’m playing a Yamaha Clavinova – which has the same keyboard action as a traditional acoustic piano, but there are no strings. Pressing a key activates (in this case) [...]
Rock supergroup The Beatles pose for an album cover.

Across The Universe

February 19, 2020

"Across the Universe" is a Beatles song  written by John Lennon and credited to Lennon–McCartney. I’ve always liked this song and playing it feels like meditating to me. In February 1968, (52 years ago!) the Beatles convened at Abbey Road studios to record a single for release during their absence on their forthcoming trip to India. Paul McCartney had written "Lady Madonna", and Lennon had "Across the Universe". Lennon referred to the song as perhaps the best, most poetic lyric he ever wrote: "It's one of the best lyrics I've written. In fact, it could be the best. It's good poetry, or whatever you call it, without chewin' it. See, the ones I like are the ones that stand as words, without melody. They don't have to have any melody, like a poem, you can read them." A truly cosmic song! On 4 February 2008, at 00:00 UTC, NASA transmitted the Interstellar Message "Across the Universe" in the direction of the star Polaris, 431 light years from Earth.This was done to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the song's recording, the 45th anniversary of the Deep Space Network (DSN), and the 50th anniversary of NASA. The idea was hatched by Beatles [...]
Sting, holding a bass as he sings into a microphone.

Fields of Gold

January 22, 2020

"Fields of Gold" is a song written and recorded by Sting. It first appeared on his 1993 album Ten Summoner's Tales. This is such a beautiful poem that I’ll just show it to you right here. Notice that it works perfectly as a poem. You can get a sense of the rhythm of the lyrics just by saying them to yourself. You can even see the rhythm of the words - you don’t even need to read the words themselves to imagine waving fields of golden grain by seeing the shape of the lines on the page. You'll remember me when the west wind moves upon the fields of barley You'll forget the sun in his jealous sky as we walk in fields of gold So she took her love for to gaze awhile upon the fields of barley In his arms she fell as her hair came down among the fields of gold Will you stay with me, will you be my love among the fields of barley? We'll forget the sun in his jealous sky as we lie in fields of gold See the west wind move like a lover so upon the fields of barley. Feel her [...]
Bruce Springsteen, in a black suit holding a bouquet of red flowers.

All That Heaven Will Allow

January 2, 2020

“All That Heaven Will Allow” was written by Bruce Springsteen for his 1987 album Tunnel Of Love. Once again, it has those same familiar changes but Bruce adds in words that fit just right to describe the joy and enthusiasm of young love. He makes the changes his own by adding the second and the forth tone at certain places to add a sophisticated unique sound. Bruce took tight control of his artistic vision on this recording. He does vocals, guitar, mandolin, bass, keyboards, harmonica, and percussion, with Max Weinberg on drums. Dedicated to Alan L. and Bob S. Enjoy, Dr. Weiss Related posts:    Thunder Road                               Santa Claus Is Coming To Town (based on Bruce's arrangement) Bosendorfer piano sound - For this recording I’m playing a Yamaha Clavinova – which has the same keyboard action as a traditional acoustic piano, but there are no strings. Pressing a key activates (in this case) a sound which was sampled from a Bösendorfer Imperial Concert Grand piano. Try listening to it with a good set of headphones! It sounds better than any piano I've ever owned!!