[Songs About Loving Yet Parting] Love songs for those who want to overcome heartbreak
“We loved each other, but we broke up…
We had no choice but to part.”
This is a collection of love songs for those who’ve gone through that kind of painful breakup.
If you split because you both fell out of love, you can simply move on to the next relationship.
But it’s different when only one person’s feelings faded, isn’t it?
You probably can’t bring yourself to hate them, and you’re still tormented by the feelings you have.
In this article, we introduce heartbreaking love songs that portray a variety of perspectives and complex emotions: the feelings of the one who initiated the breakup, the one who was broken up with, and even the bittersweet sentiment of mutually choosing to part while still having lingering attachment.
Please give them a listen when things feel tough.
- A Tearful Farewell Song: A Love Song About Parting with Someone You Love
- [Unattainable Love] A love song about two people who feel the same way but can’t be together
- [Songs of Infidelity] A collection of forbidden love songs about unattainable romance
- Farewell Songs: Tracks that sing various kinds of “goodbyes”
- [Unrequited Love] Heart-wrenching Love Songs | A Roundup of Tear-Inducing Crush and Breakup Tracks
- “I Want to See You”: A love song that makes you cry when you listen to it while you can’t meet
- [Love Songs] Say Goodbye to Uncertain Feelings! Love Songs to Listen to When You’re Not Sure If You Like Someone
- Farewell Song: A goodbye song. A tearful parting song.
- My heart aches with bittersweet pain! Breakup songs I’d recommend to Gen Z
- A song that feels refreshing after a breakup. A love song to listen to when you want to move on.
- [Jealousy & Possessiveness Songs] A curated selection of popular tracks to listen to when possessiveness feels overwhelming!
- [Once More…] A lingering-attachment song: a song about a love you can’t forget
- A tear-jerking love song that gently stays by your heart
[Songs About Loving But Parting] Love songs for you who want to overcome heartbreak (81–90)
Loving you isn’t enough.DREAMS COME TRUE
In love, the feeling of “liking” someone is essential.
However, that alone doesn’t always make things work.
DREAMS COME TRUE’s 2001 release “Suki Dake ja Dame Nanda” (“Liking You Isn’t Enough”) is a song about a woman who, being so absorbed in someone, becomes worn out by a painful romance.
Even if your heart flutters for a wonderful person and you’re certain, “This must be love,” if you can’t trust them or feel safe when you’re together, you’re the one who ends up hurting.
Sometimes things fail precisely because you like them too much.
It’s a song that captures the difficulty of love.
Even love songs have their eras.This is LAST
This song portrays a bittersweet heart that can’t stop thinking about the other person, even as a sense of an impending breakup sets in.
The lyrics, emblematic of modern views on love, pierce the heart.
Hiding phone screens, seeing each other less—these subtle details delicately depict a relationship growing cold.
The pure plea of “Please stay by my side” is painfully earnest.
It’s a track for those who chose to part ways yet still suffer because they’re in love.
You’ll surely find something to relate to.
Hyperventilation LoveTonbokōpu
Tonbocorp is a four-piece rock band whose members each have different musical tastes, and their genre-defying songs born from that diversity are helping them grow their fan base.
Their song “Kakokyū-ai” (Hyperventilating Love), included on their first mini-album Uka (Molting), was chosen as the opening theme for the TV drama Yawa-otoko to Kata-ko.
The lyrics evoke the scene of a couple who, after repeatedly hurling their feelings at each other, ultimately break up, portraying a relationship that can never be recovered no matter what.
It’s a fast-paced rock tune whose breezy ensemble, in stark contrast to the weight of the lyrics, creates a strong impact.
tear-coloredNishino Kana
A sudden breakup announced by someone you love dearly.
You can’t help but panic, asking yourself “Why?” and “How come?” It’s often only after you lose someone that you realize how big their presence was.
Kana Nishino’s “Namidairo,” sung by the charismatic high school idol with a crystal-clear high tone voice, is a song about thinking of that beloved boyfriend.
He might not have been the coolest, but he loved you just as you are and taught you the value of being natural.
It’s a track that, while swallowing the pain of parting with him, also offers a glimpse of a resilient young woman’s heart as she turns toward her next love.
I got a boyfriend/girlfriend.My Hair is Bad
My Hair is Bad’s “Koibito ga Dekitanda” (I Got a New Lover) is a song told from a male perspective, reporting to an ex—almost like a grudge-filled complaint—that he’s moved on to a new relationship.
Released in 2016, the track resonated with people still hung up on their exes, becoming so popular that some even posted their own answer songs on social media.
The protagonist tries to one-up his ex by saying, “I’ve got a new partner and I’m happy now.” It’s precisely because he still has lingering feelings that he ends up thinking that way.
tobacco / cigarette(s)Koresawa
A song whose poignant lyrics and melody gently cradle the pain of parting.
Over a solitary 24 hours after a breakup, it delicately portrays the protagonist’s regret, self-reflection, and lingering feelings for their partner.
Though they used to hate cigarettes, they now find themselves yearning for the smell—a contradiction of the heart.
The words “Please look at me” may carry both a demand directed at the other person and a reproach aimed at oneself.
Released digitally in March 2017 as Koresawa’s final indie work, this piece became a significant milestone in her subsequent music career.
It’s a warm, comforting song that stays close to the hearts of those bearing the pain of heartbreak or who have experienced a farewell with someone dear.
[Songs About Loving But Saying Goodbye] Love Songs for You Who Want to Overcome Heartbreak (91–100)
Goodbyekariyushi 58
Sayonara, performed by the Okinawa-born rock band Kariyushi 58.
Also used as the theme song for the drama Zenigeba, this track was released in 2009 as their ninth single.
The lyrics—expressing feelings for the other person and love for the ordinary days spent together—strike a deep chord.
It’s not just a sorrowful farewell; you can glimpse gratitude for having met and a resolve to move forward anew.
The warm melody carries a sense of nostalgia and gently soothes the heart.
