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

The Long and Winding Road with play button

The Long And Winding Road

December 8, 2025

It’s always nice to start off the week with a Beatles song. I’ll let the Clavinova ‘sing’ for me (I’m certainly not going to compete with Paul). The Long and Winding Road(2:22) Paul McCartney “The Long and Winding Road” is a Beatles piano ballad written by Paul McCartney from their 1970 album Let It Be. It was one of the first songs released after the band’s breakup and their final number one hit as a group on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Brian Wilson considered it his favorite Beatles song. Many thought that Phil Spector massively overdubbed the original version. My version is closer to a non-overdubbed recording later released on Anthology 3.  Everyone sees different meanings in songs. Whether you view it as a nostalgic look back, an allegory for our lives, or even a quest toward God or spirituality – it’s one of my favorites. Enjoy, Dr. Weiss PS  Anyone wanting to attempt to fabricate a Christmas goose this season?(45 min – not for the faint of heart!) Related Weiss Beatles Posts:   Across the Universe  3:50) We Can Work It Out (2:14) Maybe I’m Amazed  (2:26) Something  (2:58) I Will (1:53)

Man Smart, Woman Smarter

Man Smart, Woman Smarter

December 4, 2025

  Man Smart (Woman Smarter) ( 3:03) “Man Smart (Woman Smarter)” was first recorded and probably composed by Norman Span (King Radio) in 1936. It’s a cool song that works into many different musical genres and was first made famous by Harry Belafonte in 1956 (on Billboard’s Top Pop Albums chart for 31 weeks.)   I first learned this song from the Grateful Dead repertoire who play it with a New Orleans ”Iko Iko” type of arrangement. In any case, I’ve always liked their version, and the lyrics resonated with me because I’ve always felt the world would probably be a little kinder if the women had more say. One of the more unique versions is performed by Ricky Ricardo (Desi Arnaz), Lucy Ricardo (Lucille Ball), Fred Mertz (William Frawley) and Ethel Mertz (Vivian Vance) in the 1957 episode of I Love Lucy entitled “Ragtime Band”. Check it out on youtube. Anyway, here is my version, recorded live at one of our Patient Appreciation Parties a while back.  Interestingly, I spent a little time recently overdubbing parts of my vocal to improve on the mix. As usual (see my song parody “Mr. Botox Man” of Johnny Rivers “Secret Agent Man”), I start it out on […]

Since it cost a lot with play button

Deal – Grateful Dead

February 15, 2025

Deal (3:39) Deal is a rowdy and rollicking song from the Grateful Dead, written by Jerry Garcia and Robert Hunter. Always a crowd pleaser! The story behind the AI generated video (WARNING: READ NO FURTHER UNLESS YOU WANT THE DETAILS). Note: The terms AI and chatgpt are used interchangeably below. Back in December, when I read that the Grateful Dead would be honored at the Kennedy Center, I decided to experiment with some AI text or image to video software that had just come out to go along with some music that I had just recorded. So… First I asked Dall-E (ChatGPT text to image service) to create 18 cartoon images (enough for about 18 10-second videos in a 3 minute song) to accompany the song’s lyrics: Since it cost a lot to win and even more to lose You and me bound to spend some time wondering what to choose Goes to show you don’t ever know Watch each card you play and play it slow Wait until your deal come round Don’t you let that deal go down I been gambling here abouts for ten good solid years If I told you all that went down it would burn off […]

Andrea Miller photo

Summer’s Almost Gone – (Andrea Miller vocal)

September 21, 2024

Andrea Miller Summer’s Almost Gone Well, today you are in for a very special treat!  First, we have a guest jazz vocalist, my friend Andrea Miller (www.andreamillersings.com). I imagined an arrangement of Jim Morrison’s ‘Summer’s Almost Gone’ with a haunting, lyrical female vocalist and Andrea came up with a version that far exceeded my imagination!  She has such a lovely voice – I hope you like this delicate, beautiful audio recording as much as I do! Enjoy, Dr. Weiss Dedicated to my friend Leonardo

Jim Morrison The Doors 1 1

The Crystal Ship

March 2, 2024

Jim Morrison The Crystal Ship (3:53) Yesterday we listened to some classical Chopin waltzes.  Today let’s listen to some classic rock. I sent out this video last year, but I enjoyed playing around with the special effects and watching it so much – here it is again for all you Doors fans! We were BIG Doors fans in my Philadelphia neighborhood when I was in high school! In fact, I went to the Philadelphia Doors concert that was recorded live instead of going to the senior prom! ‘The Crystal Ship’  is a good example of “classic” psychedelic rock, a rock music genre (consisting of a variety of different styles) that is inspired, influenced, or representative of psychedelic culture, the peak years of which were between 1967 and 1969. ’The Crystal Ship’ was released in April 1967 – 57 years ago! The music incorporated new electronic sound effects and recording effects, extended solos, improvisation and the incorporation of jazz. In fact, it’s the first time that I’ve ever started a jazz arpeggio improvisation on the very  highest key of the piano (1:29), actually twice! Psychedelic video effects start a little earlier (0:21). Enjoy, Dr. Weiss Some information from Wikipedia The Crystal Ship dedication: Larry S., with whom […]

Botox Man Weiss Music Minute

Botox Man

November 13, 2023

Botox Man – Weiss Music Minute   Today I want to share an incredible coincidence that has linked me and Botox Cosmetic: we have the same birthday (April 15)!  In fact, I was being interviewed on the radio about the product on my birthday on the very day of the FDA approval (Botox Cosmetic’s ‘birthday’.)   Please enjoy this parody of Johnny Rivers song “Secret Agent Man” entitled, “Mr. Botox Man” that I wrote back in the day. We literally recorded it in a garage by the beach!    

When I paint my masterpiece ancient rome streets filled with rubble and footprints watercolor

When I Paint My Masterpiece

September 16, 2023

  When I Paint My Masterpiece Illustration credit: Rick and Dall-E   “When I Paint My Masterpiece“ is a 1971 song written by Bob Dylan. It was first released by The Band, who released it exactly 52 years ago on September 15, 1971. Dylan released his version (produced by Leon Russell) on his Greatest Hits Volume II album (highly recommended) a couple of months later. Basically, I guess I was introduced to this song from his Greatest Hits album when I was an 18-year-old sophomore at NYU.  How could you not appreciate a song that began: “Oh, the streets of Rome are filled with rubble, ancient footprints are everywhere,” even if that were the only lyrics! Interesting fact about the lyric ‘When I ran on the hilltop following a pack of wild geese’: (From Wikipedia) The story is that when the Republic of Rome was under attack from the Gauls in 390BC, Rome seemed about to fall and the Romans were besieged.  Despite low food supplies during the siege the Romans kept their sacred geese fed, and this turned out to be a shrewd idea, because as the Gauls attacked, the geese honked as they do, woke up the guards, who then resolutely defeated the […]

Margaritaville

Margaritaville

September 2, 2023

Margaritaville Jimmy Buffett, who passed away today at age 77, unfailingly gave a great concert and always exuded amazing positive good-time energy, which contributed to his devoted hard-partying fans. Although I wasn’t a Buffett super-fan, I enjoyed his songs as much as anyone. Also, one of the most memorable concerts I ever attended was relatively recently (or so it seems) at a special show at the cozy venue of the Belly Up in Solana Beach. What a concert… and what a crowd! I hope you enjoy my Weiss Music Minute mini-tribute to a memorable musician. Rest in peace, Jimmy. Hope you are enjoying a ‘Cheeseburger in Paradise.’ Rick Weiss

And I love her 3

And I Love Her

August 15, 2023

And I Love Her ‘And I Love Her’, one of McCartney’s personal favorites, was released July 20, 1964 (almost 60 years ago – yikes!).  McCartney called ‘And I Love Her’ “the first ballad I impressed myself with”. Lennon called it McCartney’s “first ‘Yesterday’”. But try to imagine the song without George Harrison’s signature guitar riff. A beautiful and peaceful 2 minutes, for sure. Dedicated to my wife and constant companion. Enjoy, Dr. Weiss