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

People

People

February 14, 2026

People (4:25) This Valentine’s Day I’d like to celebrate lovers with a song made famous by Barbra Streisand (Music – Jule Styne, Lyrics – Bob Merrill).  As these lyrics remind us:   “Lovers are very special people They’re the luckiest people in the world With one person, one very special person A feeling deep in your soul Says you were half, now you’re whole…”   So today I’m dedicating this beautiful song – and my rendition of Mark Hayes’ arrangement – to my wife, thoughts of whom inspire me every time I play it.  I’ve been shaping this interpretation mostly through headphones, so it’s also a little Valentine’s surprise for her. I hope you also enjoy it.   Dr. Weiss

New York State of Mind

New York State of Mind

December 31, 2025

New York State of Mind (5:02) Billy Joel This Billy Joel track from 1976 has always felt deeply personal to me. I first met New York as a 17-year-old freshman at New York University, and I was fortunate to experience the city early—enough to grow comfortable with its pace, its noise, and its energy instead of being swallowed by it. Over the years, NYC became something familiar, a place I could return to in different seasons of my life. Whenever I sit down to play “New York State of Mind,” these memories come rushing back—scenes and moments that aren’t in any particular order, but all feel stitched into the song. Please humor me as I share this scattershot collection of personal memories—after all, it is my blog. Leaning out the window at the Mayflower Hotel to see snow drifting down on Central Park the night I got married Windows on the World lunch at the World Trade Center The Rainbow Room at Rockefeller Center with tux and oysters Lunches at Café des Artistes The smell of the bakery across the road on Cornelia Street Rays Pizza on Bleeker St. (still has a line!) La Metairie every time passing through My engagement party at […]

Keepin Out of Mischief Now

Keepin Out of Mischief Now

December 29, 2025

Keepin’ Out of Mischief Now (2:26) Thomas “Fats” Waller “Keepin’ Out of Mischief Now” was composed by Fats Waller with lyrics by Andy Razaf in 1932 and first recorded the same year by (who else?) Louis Armstrong. In 1963 it was covered by Barbra Streisand (her again?) on her debut album. Fats Waller has always been one of my favorites. His innovations in the Harlem stride style laid the groundwork for modern jazz piano. His best-known compositions, “Ain’t Misbehavin” and “Honeysuckle Rose”, have been inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. Enjoy, Dr. Weiss Some info from Wikipedia Related post: Ain’t Misbehavin’ Weiss Music Minute PS. I was considering doing a short vocal for this, but you deserve to hear Louis Armstrong’s or Barbra Streisand’s versions (or Dinah Washington, Dianne Schuur and others). Check them out on YouTube or any streaming service. Lyrics to “Keepin’ out of Mischief Now” Keepin’ out of mischief now I really am in love and how I’m through playin’ with fire It’s you whom I desire All the world can plainly see You’re the only one for me I have told them in advance They can’t break up our romance Livin’ up to all my vows ‘Cause I’m keepin’ […]

La Vie En Rose

La Vie En Rose

December 27, 2025

La Vie En Rose (3:17) Édith Piaf “La Vie En Rose” literally translates to “life in pink,” but it’s a French idiom that means to see life through rose-colored glasses, or to view life in a happy, optimistic, or romantic way. It conveys a feeling of bliss and happiness, often brought on by being in love. It is the signature song of legendary French singer Édith Piaf, written in 1945. The song became very popular in the United States in 1950, when seven versions reached the Billboard charts including covers by Bing Crosby, Dean Martin, and of course, Louis Armstrong. OK, this is interesting.  You would think that a songwriter would know an immortal hit when they wrote it. Right? However, Piaf’s peers and songwriting team did not think the song would be successful, finding it weaker than the rest of her repertoire. Heeding their advice, the singer put the song aside, only to change her mind the next year. It was performed live in concert for the first time in 1946. However, “La Vie En Rose” became a favorite with audiences and was the song that made Piaf internationally famous! It’s lyrics expressed the joy of finding true love and appealed to those […]

Que reste t il de nos amours horizontal for web

Que Reste-t-il de nos Amours

December 26, 2025

Que Reste-t-il de nos Amours (5:10) (I Wish You Love) Today here are two versions for your listening pleasure (audio only on youtube): “Que Reste-t-il de nos Amours” – French lyrics only “Que Reste-t-il de nos Amours”- simultaneous French-English ‘inline translation’ “Que Reste-t-il de nos Amours” is a beautiful song by French singer/songwriter Charles Trenet and first recorded in 1943. You may recognize it from the English language version recorded in 1957 – “I Wish You Love” – made famous by Frank Sinatra and many others. This song not only gives me a chance to brush up on my French but is a great example of how lyrics in different languages can completely transform the meaning and character of a song. “I Wish You Love” is fairly lighthearted with Tin Pan Alley rhymes (see below), but the original French lyrics reveal a much more wistful, nostalgic and sentimental tone. If you are still with me after listening to my singing translation of the original French, compare the feeling of the song with the English ‘I Wish You Love’ lyrics by Albert Beach: I wish you bluebirds in the spring To give your heart a song to sing And then a kiss, but more than […]

Aint Misbehavin

Ain’t Misbehavin’

December 19, 2025

Ain’t Misbehavin’ (1:09) Thomas “Fats” Waller This is such a cool song! I dug it up from a previous post and decided to add a vocal. If you don’t know about Fats Waller, you should.  Check him out on Wikipedia and Youtube.  One thing I remember is that shaking hands with him was like shaking hands with a bunch of bananas!  He was a character among characters!Enjoy, Dr. Weiss

I'll Be Seeing You

I’ll Be Seeing You

November 12, 2024

Image by Dr. Weiss and Dall-E I’ll Be Seeing You (1:42) “I’ll Be Seeing You” is a popular song published in 1938 which was written for an unsuccessful Broadway show (by Irving Kahal & Sammy Fain) that closed after 15 performances. Lucky for us, the 1944 recording by Bing Crosby became a nostalgic wartime hit (especially poignant and emotional as soldiers were away fighting and sweethearts were separated, perhaps forever). Frank Sinatra’s version further added to its popularity, and Billie Holiday’s 1944 recording of the song was even used as the final transmission sent by NASA to the Opportunity rover on Mars when its mission ended in February 2019! As I have been playing this for the last 2 weeks after listening to it with a patient during her eyelid surgery, I was struck by the thought that it was as beautiful as any classical music theme.  Then I read on Wikipedia that someone had already noticed the resemblance between the main tune’s first four lines and a passage within the theme of the last movement of Gustav Mahler’s Third Symphony (1896). Enjoy, Dr. Weiss Some information from Wikipedia Dedicated to TZ PS Clavinova sample is Yamaha CFX Grand Piano […]

Corcovado a serene night scene inspired by the bossa nova song Corcovado The image features a quiet, starry night sky over a calm moonlit landscape

Corcovado (Quiet Nights of Quiet Stars)

October 1, 2024

Corcovado (1:43) “Corcovado” (known in English as “Quiet Nights of Quiet Stars”) is a bossa nova song and jazz standard written by Antônio Carlos Jobim in 1960. English lyrics were later written by Gene Lees. The Portuguese title refers to the Corcovado mountain in Rio de Janeiro. Considered as one of the great exponents of Brazilian music, Jobim merged Samba with Cool jazz in the 1960s to create Bossa nova, with worldwide success. As a result, he is regarded as one of the fathers of bossa nova. In fact, “The Girl from Ipanema”, composed by Jobim, has become one of the most recorded songs of all time, Enjoy, Dr. Weiss Info from Wikipedia Bösendorfer 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!

Summer's almost gone sunset

Summertime

September 21, 2024

 Summertime (Summer officially ends Sunday, September 22, 5:44 AM PST) Here is a special Weiss Music Minute (1:07) – Summertime, written by George Gershwin 90 years ago for the opera ‘Porgy & Bess’ – a song that needs no special introduction! Enjoy, Dr. Weiss Dedicated to my friend Leonardo

Tea for Two Bugs and Daffy

Tea For Two

June 10, 2024

Tea For Two! Published 100 years ago today!!  “Tea for Two” is a 1924 song composed by Vincent Youmans (More Than You Know), with lyrics by Irving Caesar (Swanee, Just a Gigolo). It was published exactly 100 years ago today (June 10, 1924!) When I started this music blog, I was trying to show that many complete musical ideas can be expressed in one minute or less. This is a perfect example. It is instantly recognizable and is one of the most recorded songs in popular music. I’ve linked to two versions: Bugs and Daffy doing a soft shoe routine, and an amazing version by Art Tatum – one of the most talented jazz pianists who ever lived! Enjoy, Dr. Weiss Bugs and Daffy version Art Tatum version