A large SUV drives past your apartment window and you hear the sweet, dulcet tones of Lady Gaga crooning, “You and me could write a bad romance.”

Where are you? Ames, downtown New York City, Rome, a tiny town in rural Kentucky; it could be anywhere.

Lady Gaga’s infamous music video has more than 290 million views on YouTube. And perhaps even more telling, Lady Gaga was recently ranked the seventh most powerful woman in the world in Forbes Magazine’s 2010 list of the 100 Most Powerful Women. And who is right behind her at No. 9? Beyonce Knowles. They are ranked above news anchor Katie Couric, above Supreme Court justice Sonia Sotomayor, even above the Queen of England.

This could be viewed as a startling commentary on the priorities of our society, but it is also a strong validation of the power of music.

My roommate from last year is currently studying abroad in Italy, and she told me a story about a boy leaning out a window singing, “Alejandro, Alejandro,” down to them on the street below. She and her friends laughed and waved while he sang, “don’t call my name, don’t call my name.” The group of students went on their way, but they still remember the boy in the window. They made a connection through music.

A young man in a coffee shop was feeling down and out until he heard Bob Marley singing, “don’t worry, be happy,” through the headphones of the girl in the booth behind him.

Don’t forget the power of music in our daily lives. Finding the perfect study music can help you concentrate. The right beat in the morning can energize you for the day. When you’re frustrated, that loud screamo can express your feelings perfectly. And the right song can tell someone you really love them. This is true no matter the language or nationality of the music. The emotion expressed is the same.

Lady Gaga is a reminder of this. Yes, Lady Gaga’s music isn’t the political and social commentary of John Lennon or powerful antiwar messages of Neil Young. It’s got a fun beat and catchy lyrics. Maybe she shouldn’t be No. 7 on the Forbes list, but she has an important place in our society.

Music can transcend borders. It can bring a gawky Italian boy and American students together; it can express sorrow over life lost; it can forge new friendships.

Perhaps life’s problems wouldn’t seem so daunting if we would, “Just dance.”