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

You are a cigarette; I am a soap bubble.Lovely Summer Chan

You are a cigarette; I am a soap bubble.

A melancholic guitar-pop song by Lovely Summer Chan that delicately depicts the end of a bittersweet love.

Featured on her major-label debut album “LSC,” released in November 2016, the track expresses the faint feelings for someone out of reach and the fragility of having no choice but to accept it.

Through the contrast between “cigarettes,” a symbol of adulthood, and “soap bubbles,” which vanish in an instant, it strikingly portrays the distance between two people who can never truly meet.

It’s a highly relatable song that offers comfort to those who strive to move forward even while suffering from an unrequited love.

Only the two of us in this worldano

ano “Just the Two of Us in This World” Music Video

It’s a heartrending love song about a secret romance.

Brimming with the kind of emotional nuance characteristic of ano, it was released in February 2025.

The lyrics and composition were done by ano herself, with arrangement by Regal Lily.

Incorporating elements of alternative rock, it portrays a special world shared by just two people.

While wrestling with the complications of the relationship, it conveys the desire to cherish those moments when true love can be felt.

Highly recommended as a song that stays close to the hearts of those in love.

I want to forget.wacci

wacci “I Want to Forget” Music Video

A delicate breakup song by wacci that begins with the scent of cigarettes triggering the way once-happy times dissipate like smoke.

Despite the overwhelming desire to “forget,” the voice of the other person and the memory of their kiss refuse to fade, lingering in the heart—expressed through a heartrending, beautiful melody.

Released in July 2024 as the third installment of wacci’s three-part love song project, the track was distributed digitally and became a smash hit.

It’s a highly relatable work that resonates with those who still have lingering feelings about past relationships or struggle to let go of an ex.

IenaiSoala

Soala – Ienai [Official Music Video]

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.

Someday, the two of usMr.Children

Mr.Children / Someday, the Two of Us

A bittersweet love ballad sung by Mr.Children, “Itsu no hi ni ka Futari de.” It’s an unrequited love song about a younger man who falls for an older woman.

It’s unclear whether she’s simply not interested or already married, but because they can never be more than friends, the man soothes his heart by dreaming of the day they’ll be together.

His thoughts are consumed by her, his longing to see her keeps growing… The lyrics are achingly poignant, resonating with any man experiencing a love that won’t come true.

It’s a song you should listen to on those days when you just can’t see the one you love.

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impure loveDomura Riu

Riu Domura – Impure Love (NEOWN: THE GOLDEN Performance Video)

A gem of a love song by Riu Domura that powerfully conveys the pain and poignancy of a love you can’t tell anyone about.

It delicately portrays the feelings of a woman who, despite having been with the one she loves, ends up feeling even more alone.

Depicting the struggle of a woman who suffers in a convenient relationship yet cannot cut off her feelings for the other person, the track was released in January 2024, later included on the album “Irregular Diary,” and has become a fan favorite performed live.

It’s a song we especially recommend to those who have been hurt by love or are currently tormented by an unrequited relationship.

Crime and PunishmentShiina Ringo

Shiina Ringo – Crime and Punishment

A song by Sheena Ringo whose heartrending cry—wanting nothing more than to hear her own name—pierces the chest.

The figure who seeks only the certain “now,” even at the cost of abandoning the future, seems to portray the agony of a heart falling into a love it knows is forbidden.

This work was released as a single in January 2000 and was also included on the classic album Shōso Strip.

It apparently wasn’t originally slated to be a single, but there’s an anecdote that its release was decided due to strong demand from fans.

When you listen to it at times when your heart feels like it’s about to break between the pure desire to be with someone and the reality that such desire is a “sin,” you may feel as if the song affirms your pain along with everything else.