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!!

Categories


Laura

Laura

December 30, 2025

Laura (1:41) Music: David Raksin.    Lyrics: Johnny Mercer “Laura” is a movie theme melody written by David Raksin in 1944 for the film Laura, a noir mystery directed by Otto Preminger. Preminger had originally wanted to use Duke Ellington’s “Sophisticated Lady” as the theme, but Raksin was not convinced that it was suitable. Angered, Preminger gave Raksin one weekend to compose an alternative melody, and over that weekend he got a personal letter from his wife asking for a divorce – which may explain its haunting quality. The melody is lyrical, chromatic, and bittersweet, moving between major and minor moods. Because of its sophisticated structure, it became a favorite among jazz musicians for improvisation. It was recorded by Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, Charlie Parker, Nat King Cole, Bill Evans, and Julie London, among many others. Today, it’s considered one of the most enduring and frequently played ballads in the Great American Songbook and probably the most notable film noir music theme. The lyrics were written by Johnny Mercer after the film made the tune popular. Mercer makes Laura not just a woman, but a metaphor for elusive beauty and memory. I tried to match my illustration to the lyric: “And you see Laura […]

Nobody does it better 2

Nobody Does It Better

October 14, 2023

Nobody Does It Better “Nobody Does It Better” is a power ballad and the theme song for the James Bond film ‘The Spy Who Loved Me’ (1977). Composed by Marvin Hamlisch with lyrics by Carole Bayer Sager, the song was an inescapable worldwide hit performed by Carly Simon. The other night I re-watched (once again!) the James Bond film ‘Quantum of Solace’, in which the theme song was written and performed by Jack White and Alicia Keys (itself a very cool song).  Since my last blog was on the 1961 movie theme “Town Without Pity – blog, song”, I thought I’d continue the trend and skip ahead 16 years to 1977, and also because today (October 14) was Roger Moore’s birthday. Even though I personally prefer Sean Connery and Daniel Craig, Roger and I did experience seven exciting cinematic adventures together (whew)- and it also fits in with my ‘On This Day’ theme. In 2012, Rolling Stone ranked it the third-greatest James Bond theme song, while Billboard ranked it the second-greatest. In 2021, USA Today crowned “Nobody Does it Better” the greatest James Bond Theme Song. In addition to Carly Simon’s unforgettable rendition, the song has also been performed live by such varied artists as […]

Town without pity2

Town Without Pity

October 10, 2023

Town Without Pity On this day (October 10) 62 years ago, the film ‘Town Without Pity’ starring Kirk Douglas, was released in the United States. Don’t ask me how this song popped into my head the other day – I was only 8 years old at the time and I don’t believe I had ever seen the movie, but I certainly must have remembered Gene Pitney’s distinctive recording, which was nominated for an Academy Award (losing out to Henry Mancini’s ‘Moon River’!) The Film ‘Town Without Pity’ was shot in black and white in Germany and Austria less than 15 years after WWII. For me, it harkens back to film noir and even Italian Neorealism films such as Roberto Rossellini’s ‘Rome, Open City’ and ‘Germany, Year Zero’. These films, as well as Federico Fellini’s masterpiece ‘La Strada’ (starring Anthony Quinn), portray everyday life and the struggles of ordinary people, often using non-professional actors and real locations. The Music The theme song for “Town Without Pity” is characterized by its haunting, melancholic melody. Dimitri Tiomkin wrote the song and also scored the movie with an avant-garde jazz score. (Tiomkin also worked with Frank Capra, who chose him to write and perform […]

Inventing champagne

The Night They Invented Champagne

August 6, 2022

Click on the mice to watch! This is a feel-good song from the award-winning 1958 American musical Gigi; the music was composed by Frederick Loewe and the lyrics were written by Alan Jay Lerner. The prompts for the AI illustrations mentioned inebriated festive french mice, and if you listen closely for the second verse I’ve tried to play a little wobbly! So although there may be continued uncertainty about our Covid future, tonight, by focusing on a bit of positive news, Let’s Celebrate! Enjoy, Dr. Weiss PS  Yes, Jackie, Tamara and I are finally back in the office seeing happy patients and doing eyelid surgery. Don’t worry – we’re all wearing N95 masks! PSS  Here are some of the ‘runners-up’ original Dall-E artificial intelligence illustrations. Which one do you like the best?

A Whole New World - from the Disney's Aladdin soundtrack.

A Whole New World

June 3, 2020

As far as the lyrics as are concerned, when I was single, I wish I was a tenth as smooth as this guy is trying to romance Jasmine! In these times, we need a minute to smile. As a matter of fact, as many minutes as possible. Here’s one. :) 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!!
Toy space ranger Buzz Lightyear and cowboy doll Woody from Disney's Toy Story pose for an album cover, with the text "You've Got a Friend In Me."

You’ve Got a Friend In Me

December 30, 2019

Ok, who doesn’t smile when they hear this song? And another song that’s so much fun to play! Randy Newman has received twenty Academy Award nominations in the Best Original Score and Best Original Song categories and has won twice in the latter category, contributing to Newman’s being the most nominated Academy Award extended family, with a collective 92 nominations in various music categories. He has also won three Emmys, seven Grammy Awards and the Governor's Award from the Recording Academy. Notable cover versions: Michael Bublé, Dr. John, Lyle Lovett, Tom Hanks, Robert Goulet, Gipsy Kings, Chris Thile and others. Dedicated to Josh and Lana. And Jamie. 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 owned!!
theme from love story pic

Theme From Love Story

June 28, 2019

“The Theme from Some Story”, written by Francis Lai, kicks off our Valentine’s day songs. Love Story is considered one of the most romantic films ever by the American Film Institute (and the one that gave rise to the famous quote: “Love means never having to say you’re sorry.” Still can’t understand that one!) This is the 1970 role that catapulted Ali McGraw to international fame. In fact, in 1972, MacGraw was voted the top female box office star in the world. I just realized that this timeless song may have been written in a classical fashion to coincide with the fact that MacGraw’s character was a student of classical music. 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!!
Judy Garland as Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz holding Toto

Somewhere Over The Rainbow

March 5, 2019

On This Day (March 5) in 1981, Yip Harburg, the lyricist of “Over The Rainbow” passed away. Critics have ranked Judy Garland’s rendition of “Over the Rainbow” as the Number One recording of the 20th century! Yip put words to Harold Arlen’s music for “Over the Rainbow" for the movie The Wizard of Oz, for which he won an Academy Award for best original song.  He also contributed much of the script for The Wizard of Oz, including the part where they give out the heart, the brains and the nerve. Unbelievably, the song was deleted (and later thankfully reinserted) from the film after a preview because MGM chief executive Louis B. Mayer thought it "slowed down the picture”! Yip also wrote the lyrics to the standards "Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?", "April in Paris", and "It's Only a Paper Moon", as well as all of the songs in The Wizard of Oz. He was known for the social commentary of his lyrics, championing racial and gender equality and union politics. Tragically, although never a member of the Communist Party, he was falsely accused and blacklisted in McCarthy’s fake communist witch hunt of the 1950s.  He refused to identify other [...]