[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 (111–120)
A Naked Heartaimyon
A poignant song about unrequited love that just doesn’t go smoothly, “Naked Heart.” Released as a single by Aimyon in 2020, it became another of her signature tracks.
It drew attention as the theme song for the drama “My Housekeeper Mr.
Nagisa.” Songs about unattainable love often dwell on heartache, but the lyrics of this track can become a source of strength, making you feel you can keep trying no matter how many times love doesn’t work out.
Give it a listen when you’re weary of love.
You let me do as I please, and yet…arekunn
Are-kun is a singer-songwriter who performs with acoustic guitar and vocals and has been gaining attention on platforms like TikTok.
His slightly husky, gentle voice is part of his charm, and it’s precisely hearing “Suki ni Saseta Kuse ni” in his voice that makes it resonate so deeply.
In this song, he’s constantly led on by the one he loves—given hope, then betrayed.
It portrays the unbearably bittersweet feelings of a woman who, despite the pain, just can’t bring herself to hate them.
It’s a must-hear love ballad that many will relate to, especially those suffering from an unrequited love.
Hitorikarin
Singer Karin, who rose to fame after posting piano-and-vocal videos on TikTok.
The song that really put her on the map, “Hitori,” first drew attention from a single chorus clip.
It sings of a bittersweet love—knowing the two will never be together, yet being unable to stop thinking about the one you love.
Many listeners may relate to the restless thoughts that whirl on solitary nights: wanting them to go away, yet wishing they would stay by your side forever.
With her clear, translucent vocals intertwined with the beautiful tones of strings and piano, the song conveys a pure, straightforward love.
Best Friend’s GirlSandaime Jē Sōru Burazāzu fromu Eguzairu Toraibu
“Best Friend’s Girl” is a song that sings of a man’s aching love.
He has someone he likes, but she’s his friend’s girlfriend—a love that ends before it even begins the moment he realizes it.
Isn’t this scenario more common than we might think? You can’t betray your friend, and you can’t steal the happiness of the person you like…
Don’t Stop LoveKōda Kumi
Kumi Koda continues to run at the forefront as one of Japan’s top singers.
Even after surpassing the 20th anniversary of her debut, she remains highly active, touring live houses across the country.
Here’s one of her poignant ballads, “Ai wo Tomenaide” (“Don’t Stop Love”).
It’s a so-called heartbreak song about a woman who senses a breakup coming and can’t help but chase after the man, yet it’s filled with lines that somehow feel comforting when you listen.
The piano accompaniment at the start of the C section is especially wonderful, as is the phrasing that’s quintessentially Kumi Koda.
It’s truly a highly recommended track for anyone who hasn’t heard it yet.
Dried flowersYuuri
This is “Dry Flower,” a song sung from the perspective of the girlfriend who disappeared after Yuuri’s hit song “Kakurenbo.” In “Kakurenbo,” the lyrics depicted a man who struggles to accept that his girlfriend is gone, but in this song, you can feel, almost painfully, the poignant emotions behind why she left him.
I imagine there are people who, despite loving someone so much, found that love alone wasn’t enough and chose to part ways.
The depiction of her being unable to completely reject his suggestive messages is deeply moving.
AitaiKato Miria
A song about feelings that don’t reach the person you love—who already loves someone else—Miliyah Kato’s “Aitai.” The lyrics make you want to say, “You don’t have to put yourself through a love that hurts,” but they also remind you that falling for someone isn’t something reason can control.
The aching emotions of a woman with unrequited love come through vividly.
She knows he’ll never turn around for her, yet she can’t stop loving him—a tear-jerking classic love ballad.
