Hidden gems of love songs. Recommended popular tracks.
A slightly under-the-radar but wonderful love song.
It didn’t become an explosive hit, but it’s a favorite!
Doesn’t everyone have one or two songs like that?
In this article, we’ve researched those hidden gems.
From among them, we carefully selected love songs from the “Hogaku” (Japanese pop/rock) scene that received great feedback from our readers.
How many of them do you know?
If you think, “I love this!”, you might want to share the link with your friends or someone special.
Please enjoy!
- Songs to give to your lover or someone you like. Love songs devoted wholeheartedly to your boyfriend or girlfriend.
- Heart-Touching Unrequited Love Songs: Masterpieces That Sing of Hidden Affections
- [Unrequited Love] Heart-wrenching Love Songs | A Roundup of Tear-Inducing Crush and Breakup Tracks
- Hidden gems of Japanese love songs. Recommended popular tracks.
- [A Gem of a Love Song] Classic and Popular Tracks to Listen to When You're in Love
- A tear-jerking love song that gently stays by your heart
- [Love Songs] Say Goodbye to Uncertain Feelings! Love Songs to Listen to When You’re Not Sure If You Like Someone
- [Hidden Gem] Japanese Songs You'll Want to Share with Someone Right Now
- [Love Songs] A roundup of classic and latest hits about love that can’t be honest
- Masterpieces of bittersweet breakup songs. Recommended popular tracks.
- [Heart-Throbbing Songs] Timeless tunes that make your heart flutter and keep the excitement unstoppable
- [Songs for Thinking of Someone You Love] Love Songs That Make Your Chest Tighten—From Unrequited to Mutual Love
- [Cute Track] A charming love song. A heart-fluttering love tune.
Hidden gems of love songs. Recommended popular tracks (1–10)
PossibleRYOTA KATAYOSE
The single “Possible” is a solo release by Ryota Katayose—born in Yao, Osaka Prefecture and a member of GENERATIONS from EXILE TRIBE.
The track was released digitally in January 2020.
Set to a mature-sounding melody, it’s a love song that feels like he’s confiding his true feelings to someone special.
Rather than a sweet love song, it’s an adult love song that sings about subtle mind games and emotions that are hard to neatly put into words.
Under the cherry treeMACO
MACO, who is popular for her relatable love songs from a woman’s perspective, delivers another heartbreakingly beautiful track with “Sakura no Ki no Shita,” released digitally in March 2020.
The song was used as an insert track for AbemaTV’s original drama “The World Only I Am 17,” and its lyrics were written specifically to tie in with the drama’s story.
With its fantasy theme of someone who has passed away appearing before you, and its poignant portrayal of love and the preciousness of that person, it’s a song that really tugs at the heart.
The Power of Encounters IIIAAA
It might be a relatively minor love song, though it has a strong following among AAA fans, and it’s a really great track.
“Deai no Chikara” is a trilogy that began with the first installment on their debut album ATTACK, released in 2006, and it’s remained beloved over time.
Every version is sung as a duet by Takahiro Nishijima and Misako Uno, who have been the main vocalists since the group’s formation.
“Deai no Chikara III” portrays the emotions right before a breakup, and it’s so poignant it feels like the feelings might overflow.
The unison singing by the two of them in the chorus makes me cry every time I hear it.
The miracle of our love wasn’t a mistake, and I’m sure it will live on in our hearts forever.
Hidden gem love songs. Recommended popular tracks (11–20)
FlowMaica_n
It makes you want to sway your body side to side with the rhythm.
It’s a song by singer-songwriter Maica_n, included on her major-label debut EP “Unchained,” released in 2020.
It’s a love song filled with romantic words and a chic vibe.
Her soft, breathy vocal delivery is lovely, too.
The melody line, which carries elements of Black music, is also outstanding.
In short, it’s a track I especially want fans of Western music to hear.
AWAYOKUBA – Slash –UVERworld
A song by UVERworld, a six-member rock band from Shiga Prefecture formed by childhood friends.
At live shows, a strings-led intro heightens the sense of anticipation.
From the wistful yet powerful vocal-and-piano opening, the arrangement shifts into a rock band sound with tapped guitar, then transitions to a saxophone-led phrase—the intro alone is enough to send shivers down your spine.
Singing about a view of life and deep love, the song unfolds dramatically through rhythmic changes between the A verse, B verse, and chorus, making it a hidden gem of a love song that resonates with listeners.
I tried falling in love with you.chay
Chay, who is active not only as a singer-songwriter but also as a model.
Her signature song “Anata ni Koi wo Shite Mimashita” is, just as the title suggests, a track packed tightly with the feelings of a woman in love.
The song was used as the theme for the Monday 9 p.m.
drama “Date: What Is Love?” starring Anne.
It’s a cute love song that links to the story of a woman who’s shy about romance gradually falling in love.
It’s a pop number that makes the fun of being in love soar when you listen to it.
To the Lightmiwa
Miwa, whose realistic love songs are popular among women of her generation.
Her song “Hikari e” is her ninth single, released in 2012.
It was the theme song for the drama “Rich Man, Poor Woman,” starring Shun Oguri and Satomi Ishihara.
Rather than a typical love song, its lyrics feel almost philosophical, and Miwa’s powerful vocals make it an empowering love song.
As the title suggests, it’s a track that makes you feel a shining “light.”