[Unrequited Love] Heart-wrenching Love Songs | A Roundup of Tear-Inducing Crush and Breakup Tracks

I love you, liar.Onda Masanori

I Like You, a Liar / Masanori Onda

‘I Like You, the Liar’ is a masterpiece by Masanori Onda that captures the sweet, aching pain of love in song.

Centered on the gentle resonance of an acoustic guitar, it shines with a sensibility that treats the heart’s wavering as its accompaniment.

The lyrics portray the frustration of being unable to cut lingering feelings, even while knowing the love will never be returned—sure to resonate with anyone nursing an unrequited love.

On nights when you can’t voice your feelings and end up crying alone, give it a listen.

Sleepless nights are because of you.MISIA

Sleepless Nights Are Because of You (from Misia Candle Night at Okinawa Live Ver.)

It’s a pure and straightforward song about the wish to meet a loved one, if only in a dream.

Perhaps it’s a relationship where they can’t greet the morning together.

Waiting while believing in words that won’t be kept must be very hard.

The way someone longs for another can be this strong, and so fleetingly beautiful.

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sasashina

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Hare and Sea TurtleDAZBEE

DAZBEE | ‘Hare and Sea Turtle (Parallel World)’ M/V

The talented Korean-born female music creator DAZBEE released her single “Wild Hare and Sea Turtle” on February 21, 2024.

Written and composed by Wanuka, the song features a gentle production that highlights her distinctive vocals and was selected as the theme song for the drama “Suppin Hero.” Using the metaphors of a “wild hare” and a “sea turtle,” which possess different traits, the lyrics depict unrequited feelings and the effort to bridge that emotional distance.

Its frustration and pure sentiment are sure to resonate deeply with listeners.

MissingKubota Toshinobu

Toshinobu Kubota – Missing [Official Video Short ver.]

Toshinobu Kubota, who helped popularize R&B and Black music in Japan and continues to lead the country’s music scene, is known for his signature song “Missing.” It’s included on his first album, “SHAKE IT PARADISE,” released in 1986, and has been covered by many Japanese artists.

Beloved as a classic song about unrequited love, many people have probably heard it at karaoke and elsewhere.

GarnetOku Hanako

Hanako Oku / Garnet (Solo Performance) [Music Video]

It’s the song that was used as the theme for the animated film “The Girl Who Leapt Through Time.” While mourning the parting with someone precious who is no longer here, it sings as if speaking straight from the heart about feelings that haven’t changed.

The simple vocal-and-instrument performance heightens the sense of poignancy, but the forward-looking lyrics—encouraging you not to regret having met—are uplifting to hear.

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sasashina

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Dear…Nishino Kana

Kana Nishino 'Dear...(short ver.)'

Kana Nishino, whose love songs capturing real feelings are popular among women.

Her song “Dear…” is her eighth single, released in 2009.

From the lyrics, you can sense a bit of a “complicated situation”: it’s a number that suggests two people who want to meet but can’t, who can’t freely be together.

The desire to always be with the one you love is natural, but it doesn’t come true—and only the painful feelings keep growing.

You can almost feel that heartbreak in your hands, can’t you?

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utatane

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Absolute relationshipakai kouen

Akaiko-en – Absolute Relationship (MV Full Ver.) [Theme Song for Fuji TV Saturday Drama “Lost Days”]

A truly legendary band that disbanded following the passing of Yoneko Tsuno.

Their active period lasted 11 years, yet they’re still known for having a deeply devoted fanbase.

This song, “Zettaiteki na Kankei” (“An Absolute Relationship”), is a mysterious piece that reveals different colors depending on who’s listening: office workers will hear it one way, long-married couples another, and those nursing a broken heart yet another.

You’ll be overwhelmed by its multilayered lyrics, which feel prefaced by the thought, “I know it probably won’t come true, but…” For those in love, it might sound especially bittersweet.

With its heavy, weighty sound, sudden shifts in time signature, and a sorrowful pull that makes you want to hit repeat again and again, it’s a heartbreakingly memorable track.