A heartbreak song that was a hit in the 90s. Classic and popular tracks in Japanese music.
When you’re heartbroken, many people listen to breakup songs to soothe the sadness or find someone who shares their pain.
When you hear a song that matches how you feel, it’s strange how it can make your heart feel lighter.
In this article, we’ll highlight breakup songs specifically from the 1990s.
We’ve selected songs that share your feelings, songs that grieve alongside you—tracks that gently stay by your side when you’re hurting from a broken heart.
When times are tough, lean on the power of music to help heal your sorrow, even just a little.
Breakup songs that were hits in the ’90s. Classic and popular Japanese songs (1–10)
Maplesupittsu
Released in 1998 as their 19th single, this song captured the hearts of many fans with its heartrending melody.
The chorus lyrics, with their resonant farewell, made it a staple hit as a breakup song.
Although it’s a classic that represents the ’90s, it remains one of Spitz’s signature tracks today.
If you let yourself cry your heart out to this song to take a new step forward, you might be able to overcome the pain of heartbreak.
Highly recommended for anyone feeling down after a breakup.
The Last RainYasushi Nakanishi
This is one of Keizo Nakanishi’s signature songs—an essential heartbreak tune from the ’90s.
Ever since its release in 1992, its bittersweet lyrics and melody slowly seeped into the hearts of many.
Becoming a long-running hit, the song sold over 900,000 copies and has been covered by numerous artists.
Because it portrays a man’s heartbreak, guys who’d gone through tough love stories reportedly belted it out at karaoke back in the day.
The song was also included as “Saigo no Ame 2007” on Nakanishi’s cover album Standards.
No matter how many years pass or how many times you listen, it never fails to make your heart ache and tremble.
One more time,One more chanceYamazaki Masayoshi
As a heartbreak song, it’s one that brought tears to everyone’s eyes.
Through Masayoshi Yamazaki’s voice and the tone of his guitar, you can feel the pain of losing someone important.
I’m sure everyone imagined various stories from these lyrics.
The protagonist’s sorrow at being left alone is portrayed so vividly against the backdrop of station names and railroad crossings that it tightens your chest.
Beloved by many even today, this heartbreak song was re-released ten years after its original debut as a renewed theme for an anime.
Time goes byEvery Little Thing
Every Little Thing’s biggest hit is this heartrending breakup song.
It was a massive success in the ’90s and became a million seller.
When they debuted, the vocalist Kaori Mochida exuded the vibe of a modern young woman, but with this eighth single she delivers a refined, adult kind of wistful sorrow.
The opening lines instantly captured listeners’ hearts.
She has said that at the time she sang without even understanding the meaning of the lyrics, but everyone was captivated by her voice and delivery, and countless people found themselves humming along.
First LoveUtada Hikaru
When it comes to the ultimate heartbreak song from Hikaru Utada, who made a sensational debut, it has to be this track.
The first time people heard it, everyone was captivated.
We were all astonished by the fact that a high school girl could write lyrics so heartrending.
Her remarkable vocal ability conveys the real, straightforward emotions of a girl in love.
Though it was a huge heartbreak hit in the ’90s, this is a love song that will continue to be sung for many years to come, by people of all ages.
I won’t fall in love anymore.Makihara Noriyuki
This is one of the quintessential breakup songs, a huge hit from the ’90s.
Although it’s a sad song about heartbreak, the bright tempo of the intro and the melody line that alternates between light and lonely tones convey the pain of losing love and being unable to fully accept it.
Makihara Noriyuki is known for lyrics that frankly express the honest feelings hidden deep in the heart, and in this song too, you can see glimpses of a man’s real bravado and loneliness after a breakup—which, from a woman’s perspective, might even come across as a little bit endearing.
An uncool way of getting dumpedŌe Senri
This is a signature song by Senri Oe, who enjoyed immense popularity as a singer-songwriter in the 1980s and 1990s.
It was also the theme song for the drama “Men Who Want to Get Married,” and it became a hot topic because Oe himself, who was active as an actor in the show, appeared in it as well.
His character is bright, funny, a bit uncool yet kind of cool—and the lyrics, which seem to reflect that persona, resonated with listeners.
Boys who heard this song surely shed tears, overlaying it with their own heartbreak.