You didn’t say a word

I don’t dream often these days, but recently I had a dream I was at a bookstore, and my ex was there. I tried to be friendly, make small talk, and catch up with him. He picked up a book, and I added it to my cart to be nice. After I bought the book for him, he didn’t say anything. He just walked away. I was upset, and actually shouted his name and ran back to him and said, “Don’t you have anything to say?” Of course he didn’t.

I think, in part, I had this dream because I have been listening to this weird, obscure soul song from the 60s.

I don’t think I’d normally like something that sounds like James Bond music, but something about the chorus hits right. It’s haunting, yet her voice is cute. A fun song about social failure, disappointment, and unease.

“You Didn’t Say a Word” was a Northern Soul hit. Northern Soul was a subculture in England, where DJs would unearth obscure soul records from the United States, making hits out of songs that were never hits. Unknowns had a chance to be in the spotlight.

You can’t make people love you. You can’t make them say the right things. You can’t make them be kind or think kindly of you.

People just are who they are; they do what they do; and you put up with it, or you don’t.