[Lingering Feelings and Regrets] A Love Song for You Who Can’t Forget Your Ex-Boyfriend

Lemonadeyuka

Lemonade (Official Audio)

A bittersweet love song about sweet-and-sour memories of romance has arrived from Yuka.

Its light, breezy sound carries a hidden poignancy in the melody, creating a distinctive atmosphere where freshness and wistfulness coexist.

Released digitally in September 2024, the track features co-writing by Takahito Uchisawa of androp.

The lyrics portray the process of looking back on a past relationship and embracing both its sweetness and its sting, resonating with many listeners.

It’s perfect for those who’ve experienced heartbreak or want to revisit bittersweet love.

With a voice that reaches deep into the heart, this song will stay by your side.

Never again…BENI

BENI – Never Again…

“I just want to hear your voice one more time, but I can’t.” This is BENI’s renowned ballad that sings of a heartbreakingly painful wish.

The lyrics, torn between lingering feelings for an unforgettable lover and the resolve to tell oneself there’s no going back to the past, will squeeze the hearts of anyone bearing the same pain.

There’s even an anecdote that BENI herself unexpectedly shed tears during the music video shoot, which speaks to the depth of emotion poured into this piece.

Released in December 2008 and tied in with a MBS-affiliated TV program, its memorable melody—marked by piano and strings—surely lingers in many listeners’ minds.

Also included on the album “Bitter & Sweet,” this song might be the perfect one to let a few quiet tears fall to.

Even if I forget somedayback number

Even if I forget someday

A cityscape changing with the passage of time, and the unforgettable feelings that remain in the heart.

It’s back number’s song that gently embraces such bittersweet emotions.

Included on their first album “Ato no Matsuri,” released in June 2010, this track is distinguished by Iyori Shimizu’s delicate lyrics and a melody that sinks deep into the soul.

Memories with someone important may one day fade away.

Even so, it conveys the desire to cherish each and every moment.

For those whose heartbreak has yet to heal, this is a song that quietly stays by your side.

Why not surrender yourself to it while holding close the feelings you keep in your heart?

ShipwreckNakamori Akina

Nanpasen (2014 Remaster)

This song was written and composed by Tokiko Kato and provided to Akina Nakamori.

Released in 1987 as her 19th single, the cover came to fruition because Kato herself ardently wished for Nakamori to sing it.

It likens a heart that has lost love and has nowhere to go to a ship stranded by a storm.

For those who have gone through the profound parting of divorce and feel their hearts on the verge of breaking from an unbearable loneliness, the depth of this sorrow will resonate painfully.

It stays close on nights when you don’t want to put on a brave face and instead want to confront your feelings head-on.

Perhaps shedding tears while listening to this song will make your heart feel just a little lighter.

beetle (specifically, a rhinoceros beetle)aiko

aiko - 'Kabutomushi' music video

It’s a song by aiko that portrays a delicate heart: identifying with an insect that protects itself with a hard shell yet is fragile inside, and acting tough precisely because it’s in love.

Like that insect that cannot survive the winter, the song foresees the end of love, yet its deep affection moves you as it tries to accept even the sadness as a cherished memory.

Released in November 1999, it was also used as the ending theme for TBS’s CDTV.

If you’ve ever found yourself putting on a brave front in front of someone you like, you’ll understand this all too well! As you listen, may you embrace that awkwardness as a part of yourself and find the courage to step forward into tomorrow.

To you who didn’t choose meKoresawa

Koresawa “To You Who Didn’t Choose Me” [Music Video]

This is a quintessential Koresawa number that poppily portrays the pain of heartbreak, lingering feelings, and wishes for the other person.

Released in February 2025 as the lead track from the album “To the You Who Chose Me, and the You Who Didn’t.” It features a catchy melody and lyrics that express the emotions of a breakup in a straightforward yet cute way.

The positivity and strength hidden beneath the sadness create a song that resonates with listeners.

It will be your ally when you’re trying to move on from heartbreak!

I don’t want to see you; I want to see you.Ueno Yūka

Yuka Ueno “Don’t Want to See You, Want to See You” Music Video

A ballad by Yuuka Ueno that sets painfully bittersweet scenes of heartbreak—so vivid they make your chest ache just remembering—against a simple, piano-led melody.

Six months after the breakup, the protagonist’s heart is still tangled in conflicting emotions born from being unable to forget their former lover: aching to see them, yet not wanting to.

Included on the January 2019 album “Sukina Hito wa Anata datta” (“You Were the One I Loved”), this song is sure to resonate deeply with anyone who has gone through a breakup and still hasn’t sorted out their feelings.

When they suddenly come to mind in a quiet moment, why not listen to this track and face your true feelings?