[Songs of Infidelity] A collection of forbidden love songs about unattainable romance

PretenderOfisharu Higedan Dism

Official HIGE DANDism – Pretender [Official Video]

Official HIGE DANDism’s “Pretender” is a beloved, bittersweet love song.

For some listeners, though, it’s been a hot topic because it can sound like a song about an affair.

It’s true that the lyrics never actually say “I like you” or “I love you.” Maybe it’s about a relationship that can’t be put into words so easily.

With that in mind, doesn’t it come across even more as a heart-wrenching unrequited love song? I think many people feel like, “I gave up on this love from the start.” If that’s you, this is a song you should definitely listen to.

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I quit my dependency.matsuri

Dependence, I quit. / Matsuri (Official Music Video)

A bittersweet heartbreak story spun by Matsuri, a singer-songwriter from Yamanashi Prefecture.

This coming-of-age ballad delicately portrays a heart swaying between love and dependency with finely crafted words.

It depicts the inner struggle of recognizing the difference between the feeling of “liking” and the fixation of “dependence,” and the resolve to part ways.

Written and composed by Matsuri herself, the track was released as a digital single in October 2020.

The genuine emotions of 17-year-old Matsuri at the time resonate deeply with listeners.

It’s a song that gently nudges those trying to move forward, even while carrying lingering feelings.

Love songnatori

natori – Love-song

This is an emotional song by Natori that delicately portrays the heartache and pain of drowning in misguided love.

The protagonist’s feelings, tossed about by love, are depicted as blurring the line between dreams and reality.

Included on the album “Gekijō” (Theater), the track’s music video reached 3.16 million views in February 2024.

For those who carry an unending pain of love deep within, it will likely feel like a song that speaks your heart for you.

In the quiet, why not lend your ear to this piece?

A little more, just a bit moreZARD

Just a little more… a bit more…

A song by ZARD about a love that cannot come true.

Even while knowing it’s a forbidden relationship, the protagonist finds herself wishing to be loved “just a little longer.” The song captures her emotions, and because the love is taboo, her earnest feelings resonate with a striking purity.

There’s an anecdote that Izumi Sakai, who also wrote the lyrics, felt saddened while singing it—an episode that speaks to the song’s poignancy.

Released in September 1993, this work compels deep reflection on the weight of unrequited love and the intensity of loving someone.

You have no eye for it.Ansako

Anzako - You Have No Eye for It [Official Music Video]

A ballad that beautifully captures the emotions of someone freshly heartbroken.

Interweaving the complexities of growing up with the poignancy of love’s end, it delicately portrays the conflicting feelings of a lover’s kindness and betrayal.

Through the taste of alcohol bought at a convenience store, the lyrics symbolically express the bitterness of heartbreak and the loneliness of adulthood, leaving a powerful impression.

Born from Anzasko’s own real-life experience, this work was included on the album “No Make, Story,” released in July 2020, and has rightfully become one of her signature songs.

In the music video, she is shown walking alone down a nighttime street, deepening the song’s world.

It’s a track I wholeheartedly recommend to anyone struggling to recover from heartbreak or hurt by a partner’s betrayal.

IenaiSoala

Soala – Ienai [Official Music Video]

A bittersweet, aching vocal that tightens the chest, this love song portrays the feelings of a woman who has fallen into a convenience-based relationship.

Her emotions sway between tenderness and regret, spun with delicate words.

It’s striking how she sinks deeper into uncontrollable feelings even while knowing she can’t be his number one.

Released in August 2022 and included on the album “LOVE,” the track captivates with Soala’s translucent voice and a poignant piano-driven melody.

It’s a song that resonates deeply with those struggling in love that won’t go their way—whether long-distance relationships or one-sided, convenient arrangements—offering comfort and profound empathy.

Crime and PunishmentShiina Ringo

Shiina Ringo – Crime and Punishment

A song by Sheena Ringo whose heartrending cry—wanting nothing more than to hear her own name—pierces the chest.

The figure who seeks only the certain “now,” even at the cost of abandoning the future, seems to portray the agony of a heart falling into a love it knows is forbidden.

This work was released as a single in January 2000 and was also included on the classic album Shōso Strip.

It apparently wasn’t originally slated to be a single, but there’s an anecdote that its release was decided due to strong demand from fans.

When you listen to it at times when your heart feels like it’s about to break between the pure desire to be with someone and the reality that such desire is a “sin,” you may feel as if the song affirms your pain along with everything else.