I was going to write about the overproduction of music, how the beats and melodies that pulsate in our lives have become so overrun by technology that we ask whether pop stars can actually sing on their own.

But my thoughts took a very different turn as I checked my mail.

They caught Saddam.

The first thing that came to mind? A wave of realization that 2003 was much more than the year of overproduction. It was a year of war, hope and loss. The music, however, never skipped a beat.

It reminded us of house parties and how it feels to be in love. Instead of the protest music of the ’60s, there was hip hop, rap, rock, country. In 2003, the music was about celebrating life, about finding ourselves. Glancing over it, I couldn’t really find a common objective of music, but once I read the news and turned on NPR for the continuous stream of speeches, news and analysis, I saw it.

The music of this year was about the continuation of life as it was before. Unlike previous war eras, we clung to how we would have lived if the year had passed by normally. We’ve stopped dwelling on what is happening, and try to act as if nothing is affecting us. We pretend there is nothing going wrong with the world, hang another flag in the window and hope the economy picks up soon.

It could be seen as a bad thing, but really, it wasn’t. President Bush got one thing right when he said we should never be afraid, and lyrics and melodies of this year demonstrate that. We are not afraid to live our life as before, with a tinge more patriotism.

Music is there to remind us of times past. There will always be a song that reminds you of prom, graduation, that one summer and other moments of your life. There will be a song that reminds you of this year, one of war and a nation divided over it. I’m grateful music did not change or really even address the war full force. I would somehow much rather have “Hey Ya!” or “Swing, Swing” as a memory of 2003 than “Masters of War.”