A song of forbidden love. A heartrending, sorrowful love song.
A forbidden love you can’t tell anyone about.
If you’re reading this article, perhaps you’re experiencing a similar kind of love.
If so, there are probably many painful moments.
I’ve gathered some songs I want you to hear.
They capture the pain of falling for someone who already has a lover or partner and feeling lost, or knowing it won’t come true yet being unable to give up.
When things are tough, try finding one song that stays close to your feelings.
Like when someone listens to you, it might make your heart feel just a little lighter.
- [An Adulterous Love] A love song about a secret affair you can't tell anyone about
- [Adultery Song] A forbidden song about an affair that sings of an impossible love
- A classic song about a forbidden love
- A song of forbidden love. A love song about feelings that can't be stopped.
- [Unattainable Love] A love song about two people who feel the same way but can’t be together
- [Cheating Song] A forbidden love that crossed the line — infidelity song
- "A Love Song I Can't Tell Anyone" — a love song you can relate to when times are tough
- [Empathetic & Tear-Jerking] A love song about an unrequited romance
- A tear-jerking love song. A love song that stays close to a hurting heart.
- “I Want to See You”: A love song that makes you cry when you listen to it while you can’t meet
- [Unrequited Love] Heart-wrenching Love Songs | A Roundup of Tear-Inducing Crush and Breakup Tracks
- Tear-jerking unrequited love songs that will break your heart: timeless classics about unattainable love
- [2026] Japanese love ballads of tragic romance: classic masterpieces of sad love songs
Songs of forbidden love. Heartrending, sorrowful love songs (61–70)
What Is Your Secret?Sandaime Jē Sōru Burazāzu fromu Eguzairu Toraibu
A heart-stirring love ballad that delicately portrays the hidden secrets of everyday life.
It’s a song by Sandaime J SOUL BROTHERS from EXILE TRIBE, selected as the theme for the drama “Forest” starting in February 2025.
The drama stars group member Takanori Iwata.
The beautiful melody and profound emotional expression are striking, depicting the transformation of a once-peaceful relationship between lovers.
Its smooth, R&B-tinged tone draws you in.
Many listeners will surely relate to the complex feelings where doubt and trust toward a loved one intersect.
First LoveUtada Hikaru
A romantic ballad by Hikaru Utada that carries tender, bittersweet feelings of love and the pure pain of parting on gentle vocals and a beautiful piano melody.
Released to the world in 1999 as the theme song for the drama “Majo no Jōken” starring Nanako Matsushima and Hideaki Takizawa, the song was included on the album “First Love” and achieved an astonishing sales figure of over eight million copies.
The young Utada’s portrait of a first breakup and the lingering emotions that follow continues to move many hearts as a universal feeling everyone experiences.
Recommended for those who have known fateful meetings and farewells, or who wish to reminisce about their first love.
The Land of LoveKato Miria
This is Miliyah Kato’s “Ai no Kuni” (“Country of Love”).
It’s a sad song about a devoted woman who fell in love and shared a kiss even though she knew he belonged to someone else.
She believes that one day he will choose her, that he’s her destined partner, and she waits.
The things that would be natural for lovers can’t be hoped for in an affair.
Even so, the aching feeling of not being able to let go of this love comes through painfully clearly.
IenaiSoala
A bittersweet, aching vocal that tightens the chest, this love song portrays the feelings of a woman who has fallen into a convenience-based relationship.
Her emotions sway between tenderness and regret, spun with delicate words.
It’s striking how she sinks deeper into uncontrollable feelings even while knowing she can’t be his number one.
Released in August 2022 and included on the album “LOVE,” the track captivates with Soala’s translucent voice and a poignant piano-driven melody.
It’s a song that resonates deeply with those struggling in love that won’t go their way—whether long-distance relationships or one-sided, convenient arrangements—offering comfort and profound empathy.
HYSong for…
A song by HY that sings of the ache of not being able to have that simple, obvious kind of love—falling for each other, liking each other, and being together.
It’s a heartbreak anthem cherished by many fans, who say it “tightens the chest” and is “impossible not to relate to.” The honest feeling of just wanting to see the person you love ends up hurting someone, making it a forbidden love.
Even though you were supposed to have met by fate, you can’t be together—the true pain of that might be something only those who’ve been through it can really understand.
I want to be loved.Mioyamazaki
A song whose vanishingly fragile, heartrending vocals tighten your chest.
Even knowing it’s almost impossible to stay together, the woman’s feelings—her wish to see the future she envisions come true—are depicted in delicate words.
The fact that she truly wants to be together but can’t express it honestly reflects her awareness that she’s hurting someone and that the relationship shouldn’t continue any further.
It’s a song that makes you think deeply about whether happiness can await a love that comes together while hurting many people.
I love you, liar.Onda Masanori
A song marked by a poignant melody and a quietly stirring vocal performance.
Created by Masanori Onda in July 2022, this piece gently portrays, in tender words, the painful emotions of a woman who continues to love even after realizing her partner’s heart has been stolen by another woman.
The minimal acoustic sound lends a subtly mournful atmosphere, carefully depicting her descent into a love that is destined to go unreturned.
It’s a track that gently stays close to those who cannot confide in anyone, as they waver between unwavering feelings for their partner and the fact that they are being lied to.