Breakup songs by Japanese bands: recommended classics and popular tracks
A love I’ve given up on—wouldn’t you call that a broken heart?
Sometimes giving up is essential, isn’t it? They say that by accepting it, you can gain the strength to overcome.
Today, I’d like to introduce a song that expresses those feelings straightforwardly in Japanese.
Breakup songs by Japanese bands. Recommended masterpieces and popular tracks (1–10)
Happy EndingNEW!SHISHAMO
A song by SHISHAMO that portrays the complex psychology of trying to accept a painful breakup as the right ending.
While still holding love and lingering attachment for the other person, it vividly conveys the decision to end the relationship before breaking down any further, set against scenes like the sweltering midsummer heat and the sound of cicadas.
Released for streaming in July 2022, the track was later included on their original album SHISHAMO 8, released in April 2024.
It’s a song that will comfort you when you make the bitter decision to keep your distance precisely because you love someone too much.
Recommended for anyone suffering from those contradictory feelings—putting on a brave face yet unable to truly let go—who needs a heartbreak anthem.
respawnNEW!Saucy Dog
This is a song by the three-piece band Saucy Dog that carefully depicts the complex emotions of lovers drifting past each other.
It’s included on the mini-album “Lazy Sunday,” released in August 2021.
The overlapping voices of vocalist Shinya Ishihara and drummer Yuika Seto compellingly convey the stark difference in temperature between the one ending things and the one who can’t let go.
Though they should be facing each other, their lack of words gradually unravels the relationship—something many listeners will relate to.
It’s a heartwarming ballad for those confronting the bittersweet reality of wanting to start over but being unable to return to the same place.
EndingNEW!back number
Even though my head knows the love is over, my heart just can’t catch up.
This is a heartbreak song that conveys that aching feeling with painful clarity.
It depicts quietly witnessing the end of a relationship while still carrying your own weakness and lingering attachments.
Released on back number’s November 2012 album “blues,” this track strikes a chord with the narrator who can’t quite let a finished love truly end, as portrayed by Iyori Shimizu.
When you still love someone but have to accept the breakup, give this song a listen.
It may stay close to the awkward feelings inside you and make your heart feel just a little lighter.
Sing of springNEW!back number
A track by the three-piece band back number from Gunma Prefecture, included on their 2009 mini-album “Nogashita Sakana” (“The Fish I Let Slip Away”).
It’s a ballad that tenderly sings of lingering regrets that remain despite a farewell, set against the gentle air of spring.
The song conveys a sense of helplessness and true-to-life pain—feelings that couldn’t be fully put into words and have nowhere to go—carried by an earnest band sound.
Later featured on their 2016 best-of collection “Encore,” this long-loved piece is a bittersweet yet warm breakup song, recommended for those who chose to part ways without ever growing to hate the other person and are left struggling with unresolved emotions.
periodNEW!Marushii
A heartbreak ballad told from a woman’s perspective, poignantly depicting a love that’s coming to an end.
Marcy, a rock band known for carefully weaving the emotions that begin and end a romance, released this piece in February 2022.
While the song preserves affection for the other person, it tightens the chest with the pain of deciding to put an end to the relationship.
It’s also included on their major-label debut album “Memory,” released in June of the same year, where it plays an important role in conveying the sense of loss that accompanies a farewell.
Even when you know there’s no going back, it gently stays close to those who can’t help but hold on to the days they spent together and are hurting because of it.
A tender yet bittersweet love song whose delicate emotional shifts bring tears to your eyes.
no contactNEW!yutori
A track that pierces the heart with a real, modern depiction of romance—capturing the anxiety of waiting for a reply on LINE and the mismatch of each other’s feelings.
Released in December 2021 to mark the first anniversary of their formation, it’s a signature early song from the four-piece rock band yutori.
The driving guitar sound and vocals that are both aching and powerful dig even deeper into the pain of heartbreak.
Also included on the EP “Moratorium,” the song vividly portrays the gap between the one who thought they understood the other and the one who never tried to understand.
A sentimental rock tune that gently stays by the side of anyone who can’t let go yet, staring at a screen with no read receipt.
Goodbyewacci
This is a bittersweet yet warm song about parting, included on wacci’s album “Kanjō Hyakkei,” released in August 2017.
It portrays the raw feelings right after a breakup—the sense of loss and the way you find yourself searching for traces of the other person on street corners.
Yet it isn’t just steeped in sorrow; it’s filled with a gentle resolve to face forward, holding cherished memories close and allowing a small smile to appear.
It’s a song they’ve treasured since their early days, often closing the encore at live shows.
When you’re carrying the pain of heartbreak but want to accept a finished love as a precious part of yourself, this song will quietly give you a push.