[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 (71–80)
I like you, but it seems you don’t really like me.back number
Lyrics that capture the feelings of a man who confessed his love, got rejected, and still can’t give up.
It’s a song by the well-known three-piece band back number, synonymous with love songs.
Included on their fourth major album, “Chandelier,” released in 2015.
While it’s an upbeat song that conveys a determination to confess his feelings once more, it also gives the impression of somehow missing the mark.
the depths of the heartrokudenashi
A bittersweet love ballad by Rokudenashi that resonates deeply.
It weaves delicate words about the loneliness that comes at dusk and the urgent feelings hidden behind a smile.
While yearning to be loved, the wavering heart that hesitates to face its true feelings seeps in along with gentle piano melodies.
Released in February 2025 as the lead track from the album “Sigh,” this song reaches out to those who, even while carrying wounded, unsettled hearts, try to look ahead with cherished memories held close.
A little more, just a bit moreZARD
A song by ZARD about a love that cannot come true.
Even while knowing it’s a forbidden relationship, the protagonist finds herself wishing to be loved “just a little longer.” The song captures her emotions, and because the love is taboo, her earnest feelings resonate with a striking purity.
There’s an anecdote that Izumi Sakai, who also wrote the lyrics, felt saddened while singing it—an episode that speaks to the song’s poignancy.
Released in September 1993, this work compels deep reflection on the weight of unrequited love and the intensity of loving someone.
More than friends, less than loversmatsumura kanau
A song that delicately portrays the inner conflict between the desire to grow closer and the anxiety that keeps you from taking that first step.
The frustration of romantic feelings sprouting from a close friendship, and the pain of being unable to confess those feelings, are fully conveyed through Kanau Matsumura’s clear, translucent vocals.
Released in July 2022, the track sparked a major response on social media and has surpassed 5 million views on YouTube.
It has drawn attention as a song that deeply resonates with those struggling in a mutual but hesitant relationship, where both feel the same yet can’t move forward.
Becoming lovers can mean losing something precious; that’s why some choose to keep things as they are.
This song is recommended for anyone who relates to such complex emotions.
AiHata Motohiro
“Ai” is a song released by Motohiro Hata in 2010.
Its melody is simple yet deeply moving, and the lyrics delicately portray someone who had lost sight of love gradually changing through a new encounter.
The track drew attention as it was featured in a Panasonic commercial and used as a theme song for a TV program in Hata’s hometown of Miyazaki.
When you’re weary of romance or find yourself unable to believe in love, why not let this song soothe you? It will gently deliver the warmth of love to your heart.
Sunday’s Maison desfuri
A heart-wrenching song that portrays a colorful yet bittersweet longing for love.
Born from a collaboration between the music project “Nichiyoubi no Maisonde” and Weekly Shonen Sunday, it was released in April 2025.
Former TUYU vocalist Rei delivers a clear, translucent voice that vividly conveys the pain and sadness of a forbidden love.
It’s a delicate and beautiful love song that offers solace to those who resonate with the complex emotions of romance or who are suffering from unrequited love.
I want to be your lover.Abe Mao
Mao Abe’s “I Want to Be Your Lover” has a straightforward title that makes your heart skip a beat.
Released in 2009 as her second single, this song is famous as an anthem of unrequited love.
For anyone feeling the same way, it seizes your chest and stirs up an indescribable emotion.
You want to ask the person you like this and that, but none of it can come true—just one-sided thoughts and feelings.
The song powerfully portrays that heartrending, one-way emotion, making it a track that tightens your chest.
