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

Say goodbye to the love I clung to.matsuri

Say goodbye to clinging love. / Matsuri (Good bye, toxic love) [Official Music Video]

This is a song by Matsuri that delicately portrays the feelings of a woman breaking free from a past dependence on love and trying to take a new step forward.

Released digitally in June 2022, it features striking lyrics about the struggle between telling herself she’s forgotten her former partner and the bittersweet memories that occasionally resurface.

The track gained popularity on TikTok and resonated with younger listeners, and a music video starring Yuu Miyazaki was also produced.

It’s a warm breakup song that offers comfort to those trying to face forward despite heartache and to those who still feel lingering attachment to past love.

My dearest personMatsuri, Takumi

One I Loved / Matsuri, Takumi [Official Music Video]

A beautiful collaborative piece by Matsuri and Takumi that sings of poignant scenes and an unattainable love.

Accompanied by skillful piano melodies, it’s a pure love story-song that wistfully asks, “If only I could go back to the past,” and longs for a love that has been lost.

That day you met, the kindness you shared, the tears you shed—precious memories are depicted in a way that tightens the chest and sinks deeply into the listener’s heart.

Released in November 2023, this work offers solace to those whose relationship with someone they loved has ended and who still can’t make sense of their feelings.

It’s a song you’ll want to keep close for quiet nights alone, when you’re ready to face the pain of love.

worst; minimum; the lowest; awfulren

Ren – The Worst (Music Video)

Carried by a piano melody where poignancy and fragility melt together, Ren’s translucent voice resonates throughout.

Portraying the anguish and heartache of a protagonist who can’t forget their feelings even while their lover keeps secrets, this work lays bare the inability to say anything to someone who’s crying, as well as the anxieties and frustrations lodged in both hearts.

Released in October 2022, it sparked major buzz, with a short video set against Tokyo’s night skyline—posted on social media—surpassing one million views.

With lyrics and a melody that speak to Gen Z, this song gently embraces listeners struggling with impossible love, such as affairs or unrequited feelings.

Goodbye, my loverKoresawa

Koresawa “Goodbye, Lover” [Lyric Video]

A poignant love ballad by Koresawa that delicately portrays the protagonist’s aching feelings after an unexpected heartbreak against the backdrop of an after-school sunset.

Vivid scenes capture her hurrying home while holding back tears, the unfulfilled wish to walk hand in hand, and how memories with her lover fade one by one—like the movie they had promised to see together finally being released.

Released in November 2022, the song was selected as the ending theme for Fuji TV’s “Love music” in December.

It is also included on the album “Kawaiku Shinagara Matterune” and was performed with a full band arrangement live.

This is a song that stays close to the pain of heartbreak while supporting the resolve to move forward, step by step.

earring on the right earKoresawa

Koresawa “Right Ear Piercing” [Music Video]

A heartrending love song about an affair that portrays a piercing, hidden longing beneath the small joys of everyday life.

Included on the March 2021 album “Pure Love Closet,” it became a talked-about track as the CM tie-in song for the audio streaming app stand.fm—one of Koresawa’s finest.

Its light pop sound is marked by a melody that somehow carries a touch of sadness.

Carefully tracing the delicate emotions of a woman who cannot leave, even while knowing where love is headed, this song reaches out to everyone struggling with complicated relationships.

Tears of MagnoliaSutādasuto☆Rebyū

Tears of Magnolia

A love ballad that sings of the profound sense of loss after losing the lover to whom eternal love was vowed.

Using the magnolia—the flower that symbolizes spring—as its motif, it beautifully depicts warm memories with a beloved person and the loneliness felt after their loss.

It was included as the first track on Stardust Revue’s album “SOLA,” released in March 1993, and was later released as a single, selling 150,000 copies.

In 2005, an acoustic version was produced for a Nikka Whisky commercial.

For those who have lost someone precious or who recall bittersweet memories in the spring season, this work will resonate deeply with your heart.

Why not me?Misaka Saki

Saki Misaka – Isn’t It Fine If It’s Me (Full ver.)

This song by Saki Misaka portrays the bittersweet feelings of gradually falling in love, even though you thought you were content just staying close as a friend.

With a clear, gentle voice, she expresses the conflict of wishing for the other person’s happiness while not wanting to see them with someone else.

Released digitally in February 2021, the track was also chosen as the theme song for ABEMA’s romantic reality show “Kyo, Suki ni Narimashita.” It’s sure to resonate with those who, despite knowing what would bring happiness, can’t let go, and who sense the other person’s feelings yet can’t bring themselves to speak up.