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!!
We’ve Only Just Begun This is a double tribute to the composers of ‘We’ve Only Just Begun’. Paul Williams was born on September 19, 1940 (age 80) and Roger Nichols was born on September 17, 1940 (also age 80)! I don’t know why I started humming this song in particular in the shower last month except to say that it is definitely part of the soundtrack of my life. It is also peaceful and optimistic, something that we all need right about now. This song has an interesting story behind it. It debuted within a wedding-themed television commercial for Crocker National Bank in California in the winter of 1970, with Paul Williams on vocals. The song played over footage of a couple getting married and just starting out. Richard Carpenter (of the Carpenter’s) recognized Williams as the vocalist and after running into him in a back lot, asked if he had another version of the song to record. And the rest is history, contributing to the Carpenter’s selling more than 90 million records worldwide, making them one of the best-selling music artists of all time. Could this be the best song for a first dance at a wedding? This rendition is dedicated to Marcy W, a […]
Rolling Stones drummer Charlie Watts (Press arrow to play) Paint It Black Rolling Stones drummer Charlie Watts passed away today at the age of 80. Thanks for all the good vibrations Charlie! Dr. Weiss
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
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 […]
Mother’s Day Singalong Medley! (click here) Many of you read that I was recently in Philadelphia (actually, Jenkintown) for a while taking care of my mom. I’m happy to say that she is now doing well. While I was there, I picked up a random music book of the ‘World’s Greatest Songs’ arranged for easy piano in my mom’s piano bench that I must have left for her years ago. I was pleasantly surprised at the quality of the songs and especially of the deceptively sophisticated arrangements (edited and arranged by Roger Edison and available on Amazon.) We had so much fun together learning and singing some of these songs, I thought that I would share them with you – to share with your moms on Mother’s Day (for 15 minutes of fun!) Who can’t use a little pandemic stress relief? So, if you are so inclined, click on the above photo, project it up on the big screen if you can, and join us in Mom’s living room for a lively old fashioned karaoke sing-a-long! There’s something for everyone! (For the really dedicated, or for brain exercise, or just for fun – try singing these songs once a night until you have the lyrics […]
One of the first color images of Earth, a digital image mosaic taken in 1967. I was playing this song (Help!) the other day and started to imagine that the Earth was trying to talk to us all through the lyrics of a Beatles song. Looking at this image makes us realize that we are undeniably all in this together – whatever happens. In my opinion, the best thing that we could do for the earth is to simply stop trying so hard to kill it! Live sustainably and plan for the future of the earth! The earth needs us now! Dr. Weiss
Ursula Andress - the 1st 007 James Bond Girl (Dr. No 1962) and Burt Bacharach's inspiration for 'The Look of Love' "The Look of Love" was released today, January 29, in 1967 - 54 years ago! It’s a popular song composed by Burt Bacharach and Hal David and originally sung by English pop singer Dusty Springfield, which appeared in the 1967 spoof James Bond film Casino Royale (definitely not to be confused with the 2006 version with Daniel Craig.) It received a Best Song nomination in the 1968 Academy Awards and was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2008. According to Bacharach, the melody was inspired by watching sex symbol Ursula Andress in an early cut of the film. I agree with Bacharach that the song works great simply as a stand-alone atmospheric instrumental, as you’ll soon hear. WARNING! Music theory discussion ahead! Proceed with caution! Thoughts on jazz improvisation. Talking about instrumentals, many of the songs that I’ve been recording are pretty ‘straight’ without much melodic improvisation. However, in the second verse of this recording of ‘The Look of Love’, I’m improvising using a jazz theory that I’ve recently discovered by George Russell called the ‘Lydian Chromatic Concept of [...]
Moonlight Sonata and Adieu to the Piano Ludwig van Beethoven Well, unfortunately today’s Covid news is not any better since yesterday, but today we do have something momentous to celebrate! Today it has been 250 years since Beethoven was born in Bonn, Germany. He is one of the most admired composers in the history of Western music. Here are links to two of his many popular compositions. I guess I started playing Moonlight Sonata in high school many years ago, and it has given me memories of many hours of peaceful tranquility. Adieu to the Piano is a more recent addition for me, and works perfectly as a ‘Weiss Music Minute.’ Thanks for the memories, Ludwig! Moonlight Sonata (4:30) https://www.drweiss.com/2019/03/29/moonlight-sonata/ Adieu to the Piano (1 minute) https://youtu.be/VqLksqpskT4 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!!
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!!
“On the Sunny Side of the Street” is a 1930 song composed by Jimmy McHugh with lyrics by Dorothy Fields. Some authors say that Fats Waller (there he is again) was the composer, but he sold the rights to the song. I’ve always loved this song. Of course, the music alone. But how can you miss with ‘leave your worries on the doorstep, just direct your feet to the sunny side of the street’? Artists who have recorded versions include Billie Holiday, The Ink Spots, Tony Bennett, Steve Goodman, and many others. The accompanying illustration is by the comic genius R. Crumb. 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!!
