[Tear-Jerking] Classic and Recommended Love Ballads

I want to be loved.Mioyamazaki

MIOYAMAZAKI 'I Want to Be Loved.' (Official Music Video)

On nights when you’re overwhelmed by an inescapable loneliness and simply wish to be loved, the ballad by the rock band MIOYAMAZAKI is there to keep you company.

This song lays bare a desperate cry to have someone acknowledge the weaknesses hidden deep within your heart and your true, unadorned self, delivered through vocals that sound as if they’re carved from the soul.

Included as the final track on the masterful album “choice,” released in October 2017, it also drew attention for its music video featuring then-popular adult actress Kirara Asuka.

The visuals, portraying her inner conflict, deepen the song’s poignant worldview.

If anyone reading this feels their chest about to burst from unspoken anxieties, this track will surely wrap your heart in gentle warmth.

MAYBETomioka Ai

Ai Tomioka – MAYBE (Music Video)

Sung by singer-songwriter Ai Tomioka, this is a love ballad filled with hope for the future.

It expresses a heartfelt wish to stay with the person by your side now, even if the future is uncertain.

Released in November 2024, the song was reportedly created in response to fans asking for “a warm song.” Perhaps because of that background, the entire track feels wrapped in kindness.

Ai Tomioka’s clear, translucent voice gently stays close to hearts swaying between anxiety and expectation.

nape (of the neck)aiko

aiko - “Eriashi” music video

A poignant winter ballad by aiko, beloved by fans as a hidden gem.

She sings earnestly of an unerasable love, recalling things like her ex-lover’s slightly grown-out nape-length hair and awkward smile.

Released as a single in November 2003, it was also performed at that year’s Kōhaku Uta Gassen.

Although it had no commercial tie-in, it served as the lead track from the album “Akatsuki no Love Letter,” and its moving finish makes sense in light of the anecdote that aiko herself was brought to tears during production.

On nights when you want to linger in the memory of an unforgettable love, this song may gently keep you company.

MissingKubota Toshinobu

Toshinobu Kubota – Missing [Official Video]

This is an immortal masterpiece included on the first album “SHAKE IT PARADISE,” released in September 1986.

Although it was never released as a single, it’s widely known as one of Toshinobu Kubota’s signature songs.

It portrays a poignant relationship between a man and a woman who are drawn to each other yet can never be together, rendered through a one-of-a-kind, soulful voice.

The more one wishes to forget, the stronger the feelings grow—the searing emotion tightens the listener’s chest.

On a night when your heart is troubled by an unrequited love, why not listen quietly on your own?

AitaiKato Miria

Miliyah Kato - “Aitai”

It’s a heartrending love song about longing for someone who’s looking at somebody else.

Included on the acclaimed 2009 album “Ring,” this fan favorite became a hit with over 700,000 downloads despite not being released as a single.

It also adds deep resonance to the film “Villain” as an in-film track.

Even if I’m not your number one, even if I know I’ll get hurt, it has to be you… That desperate cry from the heart tightens the listener’s chest.

When you fall for someone, reason can’t do a thing about it.

If you’re suffering from an unrequited love, this is a song that will surely stay close to your heart.

Last LoveKato Miria

Miliyah Kato 'Last Love'

The work she created is a breakup song that perfectly fits the phrase “a heartbreakingly sad love ballad.” Through lyrics she wrote herself, it portrays with striking realism the aimless sense of loss and the lingering attachment that won’t fade after losing the one you love.

The grand, beautiful strings only seem to accentuate the loneliness at heart, and the clear, translucent vocals resonate as if asking a question—so achingly bittersweet.

Released in June 2010 as her 18th single, the track was later included on her acclaimed album HEAVEN, which became her first to top the charts.

When you’re carrying the pain of an unforgettable love, this song gently stays by your side in your helplessness.

Love is…Kato Miria

MILIYAH Kato “Love is…”

The grand ballad inspired by the classical masterpiece Canon delivers a straightforward message—no matter what happens, we’ll stay together—that truly resonates.

Even when loneliness and anxiety make it hard to see ahead, there is someone who will never give up on you and keep supporting you.

It sings of the strength and preciousness of such love and bonds.

Released in June 2007 as Miliyah Kato’s tenth single, the song also served as the ending theme for the anime Toward the Terra.

Its inclusion in the best-of album M BEST II shows how it has continued to be loved over time.

A pledge of eternal love, this work is the ultimate love song—one that makes you want to stay with the person you cherish forever.