Unrequited love songs recommended for women in their 40s: classic and popular Japanese tracks

single bedSha ran Q

Sharam Q “Single Bed” (Music Video)

Lyrics that look back on those ordinary yet joyfully shared days—days we can never return to.

It’s a song that makes you feel the importance of things you only realize after losing them.

Tsunku’s sweet, sensual voice—now no longer something we can hear—is simply the best.

Graduation PhotoMatsutōya Yumi

Graduation Photo – Yumi Arai (Yumi Matsutoya) (Full)

It’s an old song, but it’s a timeless classic.

It’s about thinking of him as we graduate and go our separate ways.

The lyrics don’t only dwell on him—they evoke who we were back in our school days, the very essence of youth.

No matter how many years pass after graduation, this song strangely pulls you right back to that time.

I won’t fall in love anymore.Makihara Noriyuki

[Official] Noriyuki Makihara “I Won’t Fall in Love Again” (Music Video) [5th Single] (1992) Noriyuki Makihara / Mou Koi Nante Shinai

Because it’s sung in Noriyuki Makihara’s gentle voice, it’s a song that vividly brings to mind a tender, slightly sensitive boy trying to get over a heartbreak.

The lyrics convey an endearing determination to move forward little by little, even if it takes time.

It’s a track I’d like you to listen to when you’re trying to bounce back from a broken heart.

ambushIshikawa Hitomi

Hitomi Ishikawa ♪ Ambush ♪ Ishikawa Hitomi

A classic song written and composed by Yumi Matsutoya.

Hitomi Ishikawa, who hadn’t had much luck with hit songs, sang this track and became a breakout star.

Though the title “Machibuse” (Ambush) might sound a bit stalker-ish, it’s actually a purer, more bittersweet song about unrequited love.

I’m aloneayaka

I'm alone.

“I’m alone” is the B-side track to Ayaka’s single “Jewelry day,” released in 2007.

In the song, the protagonist is actually disliked by the person they have a crush on.

In such a situation, they can’t say they love them, nor can they say they’re hurting.

It’s not only the pain of unreturned feelings; the very fact of being disliked makes you feel on the verge of tears.

Love SongGO!GO!7188

Koi no Uta / GO!GO!7188

“Koi no Uta” is GO!GO!7188’s third single, released in 2000.

While many of their songs are pretty upbeat, this one felt very gentle and deeply relatable.

I’m not asking for anything extravagant—just make me laugh and stay by my side.

Even if we’re not lovers, maybe the happiest kind of relationship is one where we’re always together and can laugh with each other.

Fall in LoveKobayashi Akiko

Fall in Love - Koibito ni Ochite by Akiko Kobayashi

It’s a classic song that became the theme for the 1985 TV drama “Friday Wives III” and is still covered by many artists today.

Once you’re over 40, it’s not uncommon to find people involved in relationships with men who have families.

This song expresses the heartbreak of such a bittersweet love.