Unrequited Love Songs Recommended for High School Students | Love Songs to Listen to While Thinking of Your Crush

Only the graduation photo knowsHinatazaka46

The Only One Who Knows Is the Graduation Photo by Hinatazaka46

A song by Hinatazaka46 set in the cherry blossom–filled spring season, depicting the bittersweet feelings of a love that couldn’t be confessed on graduation day.

It tells a memorable story of hidden emotions sealed within a graduation photo and lingering regrets that won’t fade with time.

Nao Kosaka serves as center for the sixth time after a six-release interval, and the music video portrays a fantastical world of swirling cherry blossoms under the theme of a parade that heralds spring.

The single, set for release on January 29, 2025, will be available in five formats: Limited First Edition TYPE-A through TYPE-D, and a regular edition.

The song premiered at the Tokyo Dome concert on December 26, 2024, captivating the audience.

It’s a track to be heard with empathy during spring, the season of partings and new encounters.

Cherry Blossom MoonSakurazaka46

Sakurazaka46 'Sakuzuki'

A single released by Sakurazaka46 in February 2023, themed around youthful farewells and new encounters, with a poignant love depicted through the imagery of cherry blossoms that tugs at the heart.

The delicate feeling of “being unable to tell you how I feel” is entrusted to the falling blossoms, while the protagonist’s resolve to live as beautifully as a full-bloom sakura is expressed through a fleeting yet powerful melody.

In their fifth single, second-generation member Rena Moriya serves as center for the first time, and the members’ expressively nuanced performance is a major draw.

It’s a song you’ll want to hear in the spring season of partings—one that encourages young people heading into new lives, such as through transferring schools or moving on to higher education.

I want to be lovedYumcha

Yumcha “Aisaretai” [Lyric Video]

Set to a catchy pop sound, this song gives heartfelt voice to the ache of unrequited love.

Its down-to-earth lyrics portray the frustration of not being noticed by the one you like and the pure wish to win their heart.

It went viral on TikTok and Instagram, and since its release in November 2024, it has resonated with many listeners.

Yumcha’s clear vocals and uplifting message are comforting, gently encouraging girls who are working on bettering themselves.

Perfect not only for those in one-sided love, but also for anyone who needs a little courage to pursue romance.

Me too,YUTORI-SEDAI

YUTORI-SEDAI – Me Too, [Official Music Video] (Theme Song for the Drama “I’m Being Toyed With by a Younger Virgin Guy”)

A ballad that poignantly portrays an unrequited love, set to the aching timbre of a piano.

Upon learning that their crush is dating a close friend, the protagonist carefully weaves their feelings as they have no choice but to give up while keeping their emotions hidden.

The more they think about the person they love, the more the pain intensifies—an experience many share as a bittersweet memory that lingers in the heart.

Included on YUTORI-SEDAI’s major first EP “blanket,” released in April 2025, this song was also chosen as the ending theme for MBS’s Drama Tokku series “I’m Being Toyed With by a Younger Virgin.” It’s a track that gently accompanies the hearts of those in one-sided love, where simply thinking of someone makes your chest tighten.

Close your eyesHirai Ken

Ayaka / “Hitomi o Tojite” Music Video (Story 3)

Ken Hirai’s “Hitomi wo Tojite” was written as the theme song for Toho’s blockbuster 2004 film “Crying Out Love in the Center of the World.” It reached No.

2 on the Oricon Singles Chart, sold over a million copies, and finished at No.

1 on the year-end chart for 2004.

It’s a classic that has been covered by many artists, including Ayaka.

The lyrics, about spending each day thinking of a lover you can no longer meet unless you close your eyes, intertwine with the film’s story to heighten the poignancy.

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Hamada Takuya

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marine snowSukima Suichi

Sukima Switch – “Marine Snow” Music Video: SUKIMASWITCH – MARINE SNOW Music Video

“Marine Snow” is Sukima Switch’s 10th single, released in 2007.

It was featured in a commercial for Meiji Seika’s Almond Chocolate and reached No.

3 on the Oricon Singles Chart.

The title comes from the phenomenon where plankton and other particles sinking to the seafloor look like falling snow.

Although the song is about a breakup, it has a very dreamy and romantic feel.

It’s also a great recommendation if you’re experiencing unrequited love.

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Hamada Takuya

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Feathers of the UniformAKB48

[MV full] The Wings of the Uniform / AKB48 [Official]

You can almost picture that bittersweet scene of a secret crush: watching you run across the schoolyard from the classroom window.

This song, which sings of the hope and heartache of sprouting invisible wings on your uniformed back and taking flight toward the future, will make listeners’ hearts skip a beat.

Included on the single “Kibouteki Refrain Type D,” released in November 2014, this track is a special one for Team 8—their very first music video was made for it! When graduation approaches and you feel anxious about becoming an adult, doesn’t this song gently nudge you forward with a reassuring “It’s going to be okay”?