Change of Heart: A love song expressing the bittersweet feeling of falling for someone new
There are times when the feelings of someone you liked start to drift away, when they have a change of heart—or when you yourself do.
In love, there may be no experience more painful than that.
You were chatting with smiles just yesterday, but today they won’t even meet your eyes.
When you notice such a change in the other person—or in yourself—what feelings well up inside you? In this article, we’ll explore various forms of parting through songs that sing of changing hearts and the pain of heartbreak.
Songs that stay close to your sadness, songs that vent your anger, songs that help you look forward… You’re sure to find one that speaks for your feelings.
[Change of Heart] A love song about the bittersweet feeling when the one you love changes (1–10)
Maplesupittsu
A ballad that sings of the resolve to live on with the pain of parting.
Those warm days when even casual exchanges with a loved one—and the ache in your heart—were all wrapped in their smile.
Yet even as the protagonist accepts a daily life that will never return, the way they move forward as if embracing a voice is deeply moving.
After being included on the album “Fake Fur,” it was released in July 1998 as a double A-side single with “Spica.” It has been used in numerous dramas, including as an insert song for Fuji TV’s “Over Time” and in NTV’s “Zambi.” It’s a song that gently stays by the side of anyone who can’t stop dwelling on a lost love or who can’t forget someone dear.
Masamune Kusano’s clear, translucent vocals deliver a ray of hope within the sorrow.
Unfit to be a loverKoresawa
A breakup ballad from a male perspective that portrays the anguish and regret of the one who said goodbye.
It’s a self-cover sung from the viewpoint of the man who leaves the room in Koresawa’s signature song “Tabako.” Released as a digital single in June 2019, it was later included on the concept mini-album “Heartbreak Scrap” in January 2020.
Originally written for Miyuhan, the track drew attention with its music video featuring Ryusei Yokohama.
The song movingly captures the conflict of a man who ends the relationship precisely because he loves her, blaming not her but his own shortcomings.
Listening to it alongside “Tabako” deepens your understanding of the couple’s emotional misalignment.
Highly recommended for anyone who’s experienced the end of a cherished relationship or carries guilt over having hurt someone they love.
GraduationMy Hair is Bad
A track by My Hair is Bad that tells the story of two people sensing changes in their relationship amid the bustle of a station and the cityscape.
It was included on the EP “Jidai o Atsumete,” released in May 2016, and was produced as a kind of sequel to the previous song “Makka.” From the perspective of a timid, awkward young person, the song vividly portrays the growing distance between former lovers.
Its theme is a farewell as a rite of passage—putting a period on a relationship and moving on to the next stage.
Driven by a fast-paced 8-beat and dynamic arrangement, Tomomi Shiiki’s husky voice conveys the ebb and flow of emotion.
It’s a song that stays with you when you want to put an end to an ambiguous relationship with an ex and need the courage to face forward and start walking.
Happy Endingback number
Produced in November 2016 as the theme song for the film “My Tomorrow, Your Yesterday,” this piece portrays the poignant feelings of a woman who has decided to part ways.
Though her love remains, she suffers because she must leave the person she cares for.
Inside, the pain makes her want to cry, yet she puts on a brave face and pretends to be fine with a smile.
These complex emotions are expressed with delicate nuance.
Written and composed by Iyori Shimizu and co-arranged with Takeshi Kobayashi, the song reached No.
3 on the Oricon weekly chart and was certified Double Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of Japan.
It is a song that deeply resonates with those who, despite the pain of heartbreak, are trying to move forward, and with anyone who has experienced parting from someone dear.
First loveUtada Hikaru
A signature ballad by Hikaru Utada that conveys endless feelings for a parted lover through gentle piano and a crystal-clear vocal.
From the faint bitterness felt in a goodbye kiss flows the protagonist’s emotions—filled with the sadness and resignation of the one left behind.
Yet it’s not mere lingering attachment; there’s a realization that they learned “how to love” from the person they broke up with, and a quiet strength in accepting that this romance will forever hold a special place in their heart.
Released as a single from the March 1999 album First Love, it was used as the theme song for the TV drama Majo no Jōken (Forbidden Love).
It’s a song that gently embraces anyone who has someone they’ll never forget, or who keeps thinking of a former lover even after parting.
Romance and LoveSandaime Jē Sōru Burazāzu fromu Eguzairu Toraibu
A gem of a ballad by Sandaime J SOUL Brothers from EXILE TRIBE, told from a male perspective about the resolve to part ways.
Included on the album “FUTURE,” released in June 2018, the song was also used as the theme for Nippon TV’s “Sukkiri” and in commercials for the job site Baitoru NEXT.
It portrays the adult, heartrending choice of parting ways because of the difficulty in moving from infatuation to true love, and the feeling that one cannot make the other person happy.
Even though his feelings haven’t faded—in fact, precisely because he cares—he chooses to leave, and his emotions resonate deeply.
A beautiful piano- and strings-driven melody is layered with the heartfelt vocals of Ryuji Imaichi and Hiroomi Tosaka, moving listeners to tears.
It’s a piece that offers comfort to anyone who has experienced parting from someone dear.
Until the day I can no longer rememberback number
A poignant ballad by back number that quietly sings of lingering feelings and a sense of loss for a former lover.
Released in October 2011 as their third single, the song is also included on the album “Superstar,” which came out the same month.
The lyrics portray the emptiness of days that keep going even after losing the most important person in the world, and the deep bond in which the two formed halves of each other.
Fear of memories of the other fading intertwines with the resignation that they will eventually be forgotten, and the realization that the time spent with the person was part of oneself wells up with aching tenderness.
A song that offers comfort to anyone who has lost someone dear.