Recommended breakup songs for women in their 50s: classic and popular Japanese tracks

Rainy BlueTokunaga Hideaki

HIDEAKI TOKUNAGA – Rainy Blue

The debut song by Hideaki Tokunaga, a poignant love story that begins in a late-night phone booth.

Its lyrics—quintessentially Showa—paint cinematic scenes of urban stillness and rain, perfectly intertwined with delicate, emotionally rich vocals to create a gem of a track.

Released in January 1986, it reached No.

90 on the Oricon charts.

A rearranged version released in November 1997 rose to No.

31, capturing the hearts of many.

By portraying heartbreak and loneliness as universal themes, it remains a beloved classic that resonates even today.

It’s the kind of bittersweet love song you’ll want to play on a rainy day—why not give it a listen?

freezing rainHino Mika

Ice Rain - Mika Hino [cover]

While listening to J-POP and New Music, there used to be many popular music shows like The Best Ten and Nippon TV’s Kōhaku Uta no Best Ten.

I’d listen to my favorite songs, and it felt like I was also listening to enka.

Among them, the song that stuck with me is this one.

Whether you’re a man or a woman, when you go through a heartbreak, you want to drink and forget—and the opening line, “Please let me drink,” really conveys that sadness.

I can’t stop this sadnessAnri

I can’t stop the sorrow — I CAN’T STOP THE LONELINESS

A gem of a love song by Anri that conveys the poignant emotions of a woman whose boyfriend has been taken by her best friend, expressed through an urbane melody and sophisticated arrangement.

With her warm vocal timbre and graceful singing, your heart aches for the heroine who loses both her lover and her friend at once.

Released in November 1983, the song was issued as an advance single from the album “Timely!!” and reached No.

4 on the Oricon weekly chart.

Bolstered by its tie-in with a Shiseido commercial, it generated a huge response.

It’s a song that stays close to your heart when you want to heal the pain of a breakup—something everyone experiences at least once—while reflecting the complicated feelings stirred by the evolving relationship between friend and lover.

The Day the Seagull FlewWatanabe Machiko

Machiko Watanabe - The Day the Seagulls Flew

Machiko’s debut song “Mayoimichi” was a big hit, and while “Kamome …” was also a hit, it apparently didn’t quite match the success of her debut.

Nowadays, though, this song leaves a stronger impression.

Its intro doesn’t feel like a heartbreak song; it’s powerful, and in 2007 a stadium version even appeared for the Chiba Lotte Marines, a professional baseball team whose character is a seagull.

Darkening RoomArai Yumi

The Paled Room / Kageriyuku Heya (2022 Ｍix)

A masterpiece by Yumi Arai that poignantly portrays lovers facing a breakup, depicted through the shifting scene of a room from dusk to nightfall.

The solemn arrangement featuring a pipe organ and the gospel-style chorus by an all-star lineup—including Hi-Fi Set and Tatsuro Yamashita—further accentuate the pain of parting.

Released in March 1976, the song reached No.

10 on the weekly Oricon chart and No.

43 on the year-end chart.

It’s a track I wholeheartedly recommend to anyone who has experienced the farewell of a loved one.