[For when you want to cry] A ballad love song. A heartbreaking love song.
Here are some ballad songs we’d love you to listen to when you feel like crying.
We’ve gathered recommended tearjerkers and full-on sob songs, including popular love songs.
If you’re hurting from love, can’t forget an ex, or you’re feeling lonely and looking for songs to listen to, this is for you.
These are all ballads that will quietly stay by your side while you cry alone.
Find the one song that matches how you feel right now, and let yourself cry as much as you need.
Crying might help you sort out your feelings, or even give you the push you need to move forward.
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[For when you want to cry] A ballad love song. Heart-wrenching romance songs (41–50)
Romance and LoveSandaime Jē Sōru Burazāzu fromu Eguzairu Toraibu
A gem of a ballad by Sandaime J SOUL Brothers from EXILE TRIBE, told from a male perspective about the resolve to part ways.
Included on the album “FUTURE,” released in June 2018, the song was also used as the theme for Nippon TV’s “Sukkiri” and in commercials for the job site Baitoru NEXT.
It portrays the adult, heartrending choice of parting ways because of the difficulty in moving from infatuation to true love, and the feeling that one cannot make the other person happy.
Even though his feelings haven’t faded—in fact, precisely because he cares—he chooses to leave, and his emotions resonate deeply.
A beautiful piano- and strings-driven melody is layered with the heartfelt vocals of Ryuji Imaichi and Hiroomi Tosaka, moving listeners to tears.
It’s a piece that offers comfort to anyone who has experienced parting from someone dear.
[When You Want to Cry] Ballad Love Songs. Heart-wrenching Love Songs (51–60)
Love PhotosOtsuka Ai
Ai Otsuka’s 13th single, released in 2006.
Chosen as the theme song for the film “Heavenly Forest” (Tada, Kimi wo Aishiteru), this piece is a poignant love song that expresses pure feelings for a past lover.
It’s a piano- and string-driven ballad in which the melody leaps in the chorus as if pouring out pent-up emotion, stirring a heart-wrenching sensation.
There’s even an anecdote that the song influenced the film’s title, which speaks to the power of its words.
The feeling of still loving someone after a breakup, and the inability to forget the happy moments locked in memory, is something many of us have experienced at least once.
It’s a song that brings tears with its pure, heartfelt longing for the one you love.
fragileEvery Little Thing
“fragile” was released in 2001 as Every Little Thing’s 17th single.
It was chosen as the theme song for Fuji TV’s show “Ainori” and reached No.
1 on the Oricon Weekly Singles Chart.
It is one of Every Little Thing’s signature songs.
It’s a classic filled with lyrics that express the frustration of feelings that don’t get across despite love, and the wish to stay together.
EverythingMISIA
This is “Everything,” MISIA’s seventh single, released in 2000.
It became the theme song for the drama “Yamato Nadeshiko,” and has since become a go-to karaoke choice for women.
The song expresses the heartache of being unable to see one’s lover, yet in the chorus it conveys a strong desire to be truly seen—making it a classic ballad.
waxing; filling up; becoming full; growing (e.g., the moon growing fuller)Fuji Kaze
This is a number by Fujii Kaze that was chosen as the theme song for the film “My Girlfriend Is an April” starring Takeru Satoh and Masami Nagasawa.
Released in March 2024, it’s his first love song.
The gentle piano melody and tender vocals delicately portray the helpless ache of love and parting.
The profound message—that by letting something go, your heart becomes lighter and eventually fulfilled—takes you by surprise.
If you listen to it when you’re reeling from a breakup with someone dear, it may quietly stay by your side in your pain.
It’s a moving song that lets you feel the warmth that lies beneath the sadness.
MoonlightRen
ReN is a singer-songwriter with the unique background of being a former racing driver.
His love song “Moonlight” is a lyrical ballad that conjures scenes of thinking about someone dear on a quiet night.
The soft tones of the acoustic guitar and the layered vocals create a spatial ensemble that leaves a strong impression.
Looking at the lyrics, the message unfolds that even amid loneliness and silence, if you close your eyes, the smile of “you” that comes to mind is a light that illuminates the darkness.
It’s a message that resonates in the heart—that even when we’re apart, our hearts remain connected.
March 9Remioromen
March 9th is the second single by Remioromen, released in 2004.
The song was created to celebrate the wedding of a friend shared by the three members.
The title is the date of the wedding day.
The narrative lyrics convey the passage of time.
It’s a very moving song.