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

Introducing the best unrequited love songs for high schoolers!

Many of you who spend most of your day at school probably have someone you like at the same school.

While it’s exciting to see them every day, some of you may also be feeling that bittersweet ache: “We’re too close for me to confess,” or “I ended up liking the same person as my friend.”

The unrequited love songs selected in this article feature real, straightforward lyrics, so those of you in the thick of your youth are sure to love them.

Try finding the song that perfectly matches how you feel right now!

Unrequited Love Songs Recommended for High School Students | Love Songs to Listen to While Thinking of Your Crush (31–40)

Unrequited love for lifeGarakuta

Garakuta – Unrequited Love for a Lifetime (Official Music Video)
Unrequited love for lifeGarakuta

This is a song by Garakuta, a four-piece band based in Nagoya, that portrays unrequited feelings of love in a down-to-earth, relatable way.

If confessing would risk ruining what we have now, I’d rather keep my feelings to myself.

Many listeners will likely feel their hearts tighten at the blend of bravado and honest emotion in the lyrics.

Featured as the first track on their EP released in March 2024, “May it be my song that fills the gaps in your heart,” this piece is perfect for anyone stuck in a love they can’t quite step forward into, despite how strongly they feel.

astronomical observationBUMP OF CHICKEN

If there’s one song that made BUMP OF CHICKEN famous for their many emo tracks, it would have to be “Tentai Kansoku” (Stargazing).

The lyrics, about stargazing while thinking of a lover who’s drifted away, are heartbreakingly beautiful.

Released in 2001 as their third single, it reached No.

3 on the Oricon Singles Chart, and it continued to rank high in karaoke charts for many years after its release.

While the lyrics are about a breakup, the bittersweet emotion also resonates with unrequited love—so it’s a song I especially recommend to anyone currently nursing a crush.

GO FOR IT!!Nishino Kana

Kana Nishino 'GO FOR IT!! (short ver.)'
GO FOR IT!!Nishino Kana

When it comes to love songs, Kana Nishino is a must.

She has many tracks that seem to speak for young women in love, and her realistic lyrics are especially popular among women experiencing romance.

This song, “GO FOR IT!!,” whose title carries the meaning of “Do your best!” is like a cheer-up anthem for girls in love, a number that seems to nurture positive feelings.

It’s a song that makes you empathize with a girl who’s bewildered by love and full of swirling thoughts, and that inspires you to try your best too.

Only for you, clear skiesYorushika

Yorushika – Just Clear Skies for You (MUSIC VIDEO)
Only for you, clear skiesYorushika

Many people find themselves listening to Tadakimi ni Hare over and over, tied to unforgettable love.

It’s a hit song by Yorushika, a rock band popular among younger listeners, and was included on their 2020 release, An Encore Is Not Necessary for Underdogs.

While the track has a very fresh, pop sound, the lyrics are bittersweet, about turning a love that’s come to an end into a cherished memory and moving forward.

High school students whose paths diverge from someone they have a crush on might find a lot to relate to.

Give it a listen and let it give you the courage to confess your feelings.

You don’t listen to rock.aimyon

Aimyon – You Don’t Listen to Rock [OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO]
You don't listen to rock.aimyon

It’s a song whose vivid, scene-rich lyrics and striking melody truly resonate.

The lyrics portray the protagonist’s bittersweet feelings with realism, capturing the emotions of those in love.

Released in September 2017, it became a hot topic, receiving heavy radio rotation.

It has also become a major hit, surpassing 100 million streams.

It’s a track that feels like a snapshot of youth—one that anyone who has ever had a crush, or fallen for someone, can relate to.

Even if you don’t share the same musical tastes as the person you like, listening to this song will surely help your hearts connect.

It’s a song that will cheer on your feelings of love.

Best Unrequited Love Songs for High Schoolers | Love Songs to Listen to While Thinking of Your Crush (41–50)

cotton candyback number

back number – Watagashi (full)
cotton candyback number

A three-piece rock band with a superb worldview that grabs listeners and won’t let go—through vivid, heated lyrics that paint scenes in your mind and irresistibly catchy melodies—back number’s sixth single.

Chosen as the opening theme for the music show COUNT DOWN TV, this track leaves you with lyrics that truly evoke a high school summer festival.

Its ultra-realistic imagery and slightly humid melody and tone are sure to set many high schoolers’ thoughts spinning.

It’s the perfect number to listen to when you’re about to ask out someone you like.

First LoveUtada Hikaru

Since her sensational debut in her teens, singer-songwriter Hikaru Utada has continued to lead the music scene with numerous hits.

This is her third single, a song chosen as the theme for the TV drama “Majo no Joken” (Forbidden Love), and her first ballad released as a single.

While it carries an air of a slightly more mature romance from a high schooler’s perspective, the fact that it’s sung by someone also in her teens may make the emotions feel especially relatable.

With lyrics about feelings for someone unforgettable and a heartrending melody that lingers in the ear, it stands as one of the Heisei era’s quintessential ballads.