[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
- [Songs of Infidelity] A collection of forbidden love songs about unattainable romance
- [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 (71–80)
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.
I became someone else’s girlfriend.wacci
This song is about unintentionally comparing your current partner with someone you used to love.
From the title, you might expect a woman to be singing, but it’s actually performed by a man—surprising, right? While it sparked mixed opinions, I think it’s undeniably a masterpiece.
It’s included on the album “Ultramarine Refrain.” It’s a bittersweet love song about realizing the good qualities of an ex only after dating someone new, and feeling, “I want to go back.”
Karada no KankeiYUTORI-SEDAI
A song that delicately portrays the ache of unrequited love.
Released by YUTORI-SEDAI in August 2022, this track vividly captures the raw emotions of a woman suffering from a love that will never be fulfilled.
The protagonist, unaware that the other person already has a partner, deepens the relationship.
Even as she pleads, “Don’t leave me,” she is tormented by the guilt of stealing someone else’s love—a portrayal that is truly heart-wrenching.
Midway through the song, her earnest efforts to improve herself for the other person are depicted, resonating deeply with listeners.
It’s a recommended track for those seeking to soothe the pain of heartbreak or to find empathy in the struggle of one-sided 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).
366 daysHY
This is a ballad about the lingering feelings of being unable to forget a lost love.
Included on HY’s 2008 album “HeartY,” the song was used as the theme for Fuji TV’s drama and film “Akai Ito.” Its gentle melody, highlighted by a memorable piano line, carries lyrics that reflect on the memories of a lover who remains in the heart.
The duet version by vocalists Izumi Nakasone and Hideyuki Shinzato is also captivating, with the interplay of male and female voices bringing out the nuances of emotion even more vividly.
It’s a recommended track for those who have experienced parting with someone dear or are trying to overcome the pain.
cold; curt; blunt; unfriendlyRADWIMPS
This is a song by RADWIMPS, a rock band from Kanagawa Prefecture known for tracks like “Zenzenzense” and “Yushinron.” It’s included on their seventh major album, ANTI ANTI GENERATION, released in 2018.
Written from a male perspective about being treated coldly by someone he loves, the lyrics convey the aching longing of still wanting that person despite the situation.
It’s a quiet, gently paced love ballad.
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.
