A song of forbidden love. A heartrending, sorrowful love song.

Dear…Nishino Kana

Kana Nishino 'Dear...(short ver.)'

This is a song by Kana Nishino that conveys the pain of bittersweet affection and unrequited love.

The melancholic piano sound evokes the feeling of softly murmuring one’s sorrow, and the expansive development of the music strikingly expresses emotions overflowing.

The lyrics, which capture the inner movements of the heart when burdened with feelings that won’t reach their destination or love that cannot be fulfilled, further emphasize the poignancy.

By also depicting the ideal of “what if these feelings had reached you,” the song renders the suffering even more vividly.

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kappamaki

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blue skyaiko

aiko - “Blue Sky” music video

It’s a sad breakup song that can be heard as either a song about an affair or about having a brief relationship with someone you shouldn’t fall for.

Released in 2020 as aiko’s 39th single, it has a relatively bright sound, but the lyrics are heartbreakingly poignant.

For those who are in a love they can’t tell anyone about and are desperately holding themselves back to keep the relationship from ending, it will be painful to listen to—but it will surely stay by your side, too.

Give it a listen when time alone feels lonely or empty.

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sasashina

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Happinessback number

Happiness / back number (cover)

There’s a saying, “The one who falls in love loses.” The one who falls in love is the one who always bends, steps back, endures… ends up forgiving everything—even forgiving it when the person they love falls for someone else.

Does that mean such a person isn’t allowed to love at all? That can’t be true.

It might be a common tale of romance, but every line of this song’s lyrics is packed with the aching tenderness of love.

Beware: if you’re heartbroken, you might not be able to stop the tears when you listen.

Can’t Stop Fallin’ in Loveglobe

globe / Can’t Stop Fallin’ in Love

A forbidden love you can’t tell anyone about.

Even though you know you should stop, you can’t—it’s like a bottomless swamp, isn’t it? Here’s the perfect song for those who’ve sunk deep into it.

It’s “Can’t Stop Fallin’ in Love” by globe, one of the iconic groups from the Komuro Family that colored Japan’s ’90s.

The song portrays how a warped happiness that once belonged to two people eventually becomes something borne alone, leaving you tormented by emotions with nowhere to go.

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Kado(guchi) Shichigatsu

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DearNishino Kana

Kana Nishino 'Dear...(short ver.)'

Kana Nishino, who enjoys immense support from young women, seems to be winning over a slightly older audience with this song as well.

In the lyrics, you can vividly imagine the bittersweet scene of two people spending time in a love that cannot come true, within the limits of the time they have.

PretenderOfisharu Higedan Dism

Official HIGE DANDism – Pretender [Official Video]

Official HIGE DANDism’s “Pretender” is a beloved bittersweet love song.

For some listeners, though, it’s been a hot topic because it can sound like a “cheating song.” It’s true that the lyrics don’t include words like “I like you” or “I love you.” Maybe it’s a relationship that can’t be put into words so easily.

With that in mind, doesn’t it sound even more like a heart-wrenching unrequited love song? I think many people feel like “I’ve given up on this love from the start.” If that’s you, I really want you to listen to this song.

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sasashina

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Don’t Stop LoveKōda Kumi

Kumi Koda / “Don’t Stop Love” (from the new album “WINTER of LOVE”)

She sings so well that you can understand why she’s called a diva.

I think it’s a song that truly conveys the maddening, tender, longing, and heartrending feelings.

The lyrics also powerfully communicate a sense of anguish.

It’s a song that only Kumi Koda could sing.