[Unrequited Love] Heart-wrenching Love Songs | A Roundup of Tear-Inducing Crush and Breakup Tracks
“Even though I know it won’t be rewarded…” Once you fall in love, it’s not so easy to stop your feelings, is it?
You tell yourself you can’t go on like this, that you have to end it, but when you see them, you just can’t hold back your love.
In this article, we introduce love songs that portray the pain of unrequited love and lay bare those unspoken feelings.
Listen to them when you’re tired of loving.
They’ll gently wrap around you, saying, “It’s tough, I know.”
- Unrequited Love Song: A heartrending love song dedicated to you who are going through a painful romance
- [Adultery Song] A forbidden song about an affair that sings of an impossible love
- [Unattainable Love] A love song about two people who feel the same way but can’t be together
- Bittersweet love songs to listen to when the person you like already has a girlfriend or boyfriend
- Tear-jerking unrequited love songs that will break your heart: timeless classics about unattainable love
- Unattainable Love: A Heartbreaking Love Song About Falling for a Married Person
- “I Want to See You”: A love song that makes you cry when you listen to it while you can’t meet
- Songs that depict a teasing, suggestive attitude | Love songs to listen to when you're in unrequited love or a painful relationship
- [Today's Unrequited Love Song] Guaranteed to Make Your Heart Flutter! A Sweet and Bittersweet Love Song
- A heart-wrenching story that tightens the chest! A Showa-era unrequited love song
- [To Those in Love] Relatable Love Songs to Listen to When You’re Crushing Hard
- A classic song about a forbidden love
- A song of forbidden love. A love song about feelings that can't be stopped.
[Unrequited Love] Heart-wrenching Love Songs | A Comprehensive Introduction to Tear-Jerking Crush and Breakup Songs (61–70)
evening primroseNovelbright
Tsukimisou by Novelbright, released digitally in 2020, is a song that expresses lingering attachment, aching sorrow, and yearning throughout.
It’s packed to the brim with feelings of I love you, I want to see you, I want to start over—directed at someone you’ll never meet again in this life—conveying the pain of heartbreak and the raw, almost unbearable hurt of an unfulfilled love.
For anyone who’s been dumped, it’s a track that might be impossible to listen to without tears—its sadness comes through powerfully.
MetronomeYonezu Kenshi
A coupling track from their third album, Bremen, released in 2015.
The two of them once lived at the same tempo, but it gradually began to slip out of sync.
Unrequited love and the emotional distance between them are likened to a metronome.
They were close—close enough to fight.
One of them loves the other, but it seems the other doesn’t see him as more than a friend.
Now that they’re adults, she’s somewhere far away and no longer by his side.
Yet he still thinks of her, hoping their tempos will align again.
Agate Caressed by NightAyase
A beautiful ballad from Ayase’s solo project that poignantly paints the depths of the night.
Included on the first EP, “Ghost City Tokyo,” released in November 2019, this piece vividly portrays the emotions of a man and woman who have no choice but to decide on parting from a loved one.
In a city after the last train has gone, a young man looks back on their relationship; his frustrated feelings as he senses the approaching goodbye are conveyed alongside an urban, mellow sound.
The wavering between wishing for a night with no terminus and trying to accept reality—tenderness toward the other person and a lingering regret—soaks into the heart with the melancholic melody line.
It’s a work that shines with adult sophistication and delicate emotional expression, perfect for a late-night drive or quiet time.
The person I had a one-sided crush on for a long timeyamazaru
A song whose wistful melody and straightforward, love-struck lyrics seep into the heart.
It vividly portrays a girl who can’t suppress her yearning, single-mindedly thinking about her upperclassman.
The more she sees him, the more she falls for him, and even though she knows she shouldn’t go on like this, she can’t cut off her feelings.
It’s impossible not to empathize with the burning ache of such unrequited love.
Included on “Aikotoba 10,” this track is sure to give courage to everyone struggling with love.
Will you confess your feelings before graduation—or…? What choice will you make?
Midnight Kiss Mezutto mayonaka de ii no ni.
An adult love song, “Midnight Kiss Me.” Its poignantly woven lyrics beautifully capture the feelings of a protagonist harboring love in a city at night.
Amid a swirl of complex emotions, the aching conflict—wanting to be loved yet wishing to remain ignorant about the other person—invites deep empathy.
The track appears on the album “Agarwood Studies,” released on June 7, 2023.
Its transparent vocals and poetic lyrics will move listeners.
Listen now and let music soothe the pains of love.
A person I mustn’t fall in love withCHIHIRO
The title and lyrics depict falling in love with someone you can’t even bring yourself to confess to.
Many people may be suffering, unable to stop their feelings even while thinking, “I mustn’t say it out loud.” This is a song that stays close to your feelings and gives you the courage to face a painful love.
If you love them but want to end this romance, listening to it might help you look forward to your next love.
It’s included on CHIHIRO’s 2016 album, “Katakoi-shū” (Collection of Unrequited Love).
Fake loveSTUPID GUYS
With a melody and lyrics that sink deep into the heart, this song portrays the aching feeling of drowning in a false love.
The protagonist’s struggle to find true love pierces listeners to the core.
Included on the album “False Love,” released in July 2019, this track became a major hit with over 4 million views on YouTube.
Packed with the appeal of STUPID GUYS, it’s a song that stands by those troubled by complex romantic emotions.
If you listen to it while suffering from heartbreak or unrequited love, you’ll find both empathy and comfort.