I'll admit it — I can't move on.

It's been more than a month since the ABC drama "Lost" aired its maddening, enigmatic season finale (a flash forward? Are they kidding us?), and I'm still obsessing over it.

Almost everyone else I know has gone on to obsess about other things, like the final episode of "The Sopranos," or the new season of "Rescue Me." Or maybe they've moved on to actually concentrating on their real lives.

Not I.

I'm still hung up on "Lost," and wracked with nausea that I'll have to wait until February (February!) to find out what happens to our favorite island castaways.

Ever since the finale, I've been thinking of ways to channel my "Lost" obsession in a productive way. Maybe I could take up a hobby, I thought, or donate my time to a charity.

Then, I remembered last summer, when I spent the "Lost" hiatus reading every book referenced on the show, and analyzing them for clues to its many mysteries. Did I answer any of the show's questions? Well, no.

But I did read a bunch of great books, including "Watership Down" and "The Brothers Karamazov." And, most importantly, I found a way to fight off my "Lost" withdrawal.

Maybe, I thought, I could take on a similar project during this hiatus. Thankfully, the show is so dense that there are plenty of opportunities to overanalyze it. "Lost," as hardcore fans know, makes references to everything from religion to philosophy to cheesy, "Baywatch"-esque TV shows.

One thing I hadn't examined

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about "Lost" was the way the show uses popular music. Characters constantly sing snippets of songs, listen to music and talk about music.

Also, many characters are associated with certain songs, or certain genres of music. Figuring I was on to something, I consulted my personal "Lost" guru, Nikki Stafford, author of "Finding Lost: The Unofficial Guide."

I found Nikki, who lives in Toronto, near the tail end of my book-reading project, and discovered that she's a font of "Lost" knowledge and the kind of person who regards the label "obsessive fan" as a badge of honor.

Nikki, of course, has already noticed the link between "Lost" characters and pop songs, and provided me with a link to the fansite www.LostHatch.com, which contains tons of "Lost" info, including pretty much every song used on the show.

So, with Nikki's help, I've launched a new project, dubbed "'Lost' in the Music.'" Each month between now and the "Lost" fourth season premiere, I will pick a "Lost" character, and discuss all the music associated with him or her.

In the space I have left, I'd like to discuss the "Lost" character most closely associated with music, the late Charlie Pace (Dominic Monaghan). Charlie, for the uninitiated, was actually a musician in his pre-crash life.

His ill-fated band Driveshaft was a one-hit wonder that produced the catchy tune "You All Everybody." Then, Charlie became a drug addict, crashed on the island and, in the third season finale, died tragically in an attempt to help rescue his fellow castaways.

Charlie's death was particularly sad, as he was one of the show's most effective and sympathetic characters. Initially depicted as self-involved and morally weak, he eventually proved sensitive, brave and even heroic. The music associated with him reflects his many layers.

Let's start with "You All Everybody," an actual song recorded for the show. Allow me a moment to share the song's deep, complex lyrics:

"You all everybody/ You all everybody/ Acting like it's stupid people/ Wearing expensive clothes/ You all everybody/ You all everybody."

Heavy stuff.

Actually, it's the perfect reflection of Charlie's initial persona — appealing, but virtually devoid of merit.

Yet his larger musical tastes hinted at greater depths. He had a tattoo on his arm featuring lyrics from The Beatles tune "Strawberry Fields Forever," sang The Kinks song "He's Evil," while fishing, and wore a Bob Dylan "Highway 61" T-shirt. Plus, as we well know from the finale, Charlie is well acquainted with the Beach Boys tune "Good Vibrations."

Having such a strong connection to music of the past — indeed, music created before his lifetime — speaks to his being a person interested in something larger than himself. Plus, a lot of the music he referenced was from the 1960s, an era associated with progressive thought and social change.

But, the biggest indicator of Charlie's hidden strength of spirit was his propensity for the Oasis song "Wonderwall." As you might have noticed, Charlie was playing the '90s hit while panhandling in a couple of flashback sequences.

First of all, the use of the song is sort of a subtle joke, as many careful "Lost" viewers have pointed out that Driveshaft is clearly a takeoff on Oasis (for one thing, both bands are fronted by brothers, one of whom is named Liam).

The song's lyrics also match perfectly with Charlie's character — his struggles with fame, his complicated relationship with fellow castaway Claire, and, ultimately, his fate as a sort of human sacrifice to the cause of getting rescued.

Take a look:

"And all the roads we have to walk along are winding/And all the lights that lead us there are blinding."

Those blinding lights could be the spotlights of fame. And the winding road could be the one leading Charlie to the island from his native England. Let's move on.

"There are many things that I would like to say to you/ I don't know how."

Is there a better description of Charlie's oft-inarticulate behavior around his beloved Claire? Methinks not.

"Because maybe/You're gonna be the one who saves me/ And after all/ You're my wonderwall."

Charlie, obviously, is the savior of the song. He tried to save his fellow castaways. But, most importantly, he managed to save his own soul.

Of course, this is all open to interpretation, and that's the genius of "Lost." That's why nuts like me obsess over it. Everything can be over-examined and over-thought until you feel like your head will explode.

Now, deep down, I know I'll gain little from my analysis. But it's fun to try.

For a complete list of all the songs referenced on "Lost," visit www.losthatch.com/songs.aspx.

Features writer Amanda Cuda can be reached at acuda@ctpost.com. Visit her blog at forum.connpost.com/turnedon.