More Than Friends, Not Quite Lovers: A Collection of Love Songs About That Delicate In-Between
“We’re closer than just ordinary friends, but we’re not lovers either…” Have you ever experienced that in-between relationship—more than friends, less than lovers?
If you both care for each other but just haven’t expressed your feelings yet, it might be a happy relationship.
But sometimes it can also be an unhealthy situation that just drags on without direction.
In this article, we’ll introduce a collection of songs that capture the complexity of that more-than-friends, not-quite-lovers dynamic.
You’re sure to find stories that mirror your own experiences and songs that resonate and move your heart.
Be sure to read the lyrics and listen while taking in each song’s story.
- [Mutual Crush Song] Stuck before confession, not quite lovers!? A love song capturing wavering emotions
- A song about friendship between men and women. A collection of friendship songs celebrating irreplaceable bonds.
- Songs that depict a teasing, suggestive attitude | Love songs to listen to when you're in unrequited love or a painful relationship
- [Love Songs] Say Goodbye to Uncertain Feelings! Love Songs to Listen to When You’re Not Sure If You Like Someone
- [Unattainable Love] A love song about two people who feel the same way but can’t be together
- [To Those in Love] Relatable Love Songs to Listen to When You’re Crushing Hard
- Bittersweet love songs to listen to when the person you like already has a girlfriend or boyfriend
- [Unrequited Love] Heart-wrenching Love Songs | A Roundup of Tear-Inducing Crush and Breakup Tracks
- Songs About Age-Gap Love: A Curated Selection of Exquisite Love Songs
- [Empathetic & Tear-Jerking] A love song about an unrequited romance
- A love song that sings about messy, muddled feelings
- [For You in Love] A Love Song Perfect for Unrequited Feelings
- An empathy song to listen to when you’re hurting and feel like a 'convenient woman'
[More Than Friends, Not Quite Lovers] A Collection of Love Songs Portraying a Delicate Relationship (71–80)
Stay by my side.JUJU
Among JUJU’s songs, there are quite a few love songs.
This particular track is included on one of her albums and is a lesser-known gem.
Listening to it will warm your heart.
It’s a song you’ll definitely want to hear when you’re in love.
Lovely♡FriendshipSPEED
In the 1990s, SPEED debuted when all the members were still in elementary and junior high school, and they were immensely popular among people their age.
This song expresses the feelings of a girl who has a crush on a male friend.
It’s a love anthem that turns the anxiety of “Maybe he only sees me as just a friend…” into courage.
Your favorite songUVERworld
Your Song of Love contains messages that give you a chance to deepen a relationship that’s more than friends but not quite lovers.
It was released in 2006 by UVERworld, a rock band known for creating music across a wide range of genres.
Unfolding at a slow tempo, the passionate band performance resonates deeply.
Sometimes, it’s precisely because you love someone more than anyone else that you can’t express your true feelings.
This emotional ballad stands by the loneliness and heartache of unrequited love and gives you the courage to move forward.
Why not receive its message that reminds you of the happiness and joy of being in love?
More Than Friends, Not Quite Lovers: A Collection of Love Songs Depicting Subtle Relationships (81–90)
KissHugaiko
A perfect song for women who’ve fallen for a close male friend.
It’s by aiko, a singer-songwriter often called a spokesperson for women’s love, and it was also used as an insert song in the film Hana Yori Dango F starring Mao Inoue.
This love song portrays two people who shared feelings but ultimately didn’t end up together.
The lyrics capture a woman’s single-hearted love for a man, squeezing your chest with their poignancy.
It’s a song for every woman in love who’s afraid to move forward for fear of breaking the relationship.
Because I like you.Yuika
Singer-songwriter Yuika posts guitar-and-vocal performances mainly on TikTok and YouTube.
The song that put her name on the map is her 2021 release, “Suki Dakara” (“Because I Like You”).
Its hallmark is a conversational lyric style that portrays a girl falling for the words and gestures of someone she likes.
Many listeners will relate to the faint wistfulness in her voice.
The track depicts a realistic relationship in which both people have romantic feelings but struggle to put them into words.
Give it a listen while thinking of that person you can’t help but follow with your eyes.
Blue Springakane (Otoniae)
Otoniae’s track “Aoharu” is a 2022 release written and composed by Akane.
The lyrics portray the ups and downs of a protagonist falling in love, expressed with raw, true-to-life emotions.
They capture the fun of laying one’s own romantic experiences side by side—feeling both impatience and heart-fluttering excitement at once.
The purity that seeps in with the arrival of spring and the thrill of ordinary moments turning into a stage for romance are sure to resonate with younger listeners.
The protagonist’s endearingly straightforward way of expressing feelings is also a highlight.
It’s a song that stays close to every heart that wonders, “Could this be something?”
One-sided lovemafumafu
Triggered by a graduation ceremony, Katakoi resonates with phrases overflowing with feelings for a loved one.
Mafumafu, a singer who rose to fame online, released it in 2021.
It depicts how, at the end of school life, one cannot honestly confess their feelings.
No matter how much time passes, the message that one’s feelings for the person they like do not change is sure to stir your heart.
The first and second verses switch between low and high registers, beautifully expressing the emotions of mutual love from both a male and female perspective.
It’s a warm love song that portrays pure, heartrending emotions.