[Carefully Selected] Popular Love Songs: Recommended Romance Tracks

Together foreverKobukuro

Kobukuro - Together for Eternity

It was released in 2004 as Kobukuro’s 10th single.

The song was written by member Kentaro Kobuchi to sing at a friend’s wedding, and it drew attention when Tomonori Jinnai performed it as a piano-and-vocal piece at his wedding reception with Norika Fujiwara.

The lyrics are filled with many aspects of sharing a life together as a couple, and it’s a moving song that stirs feelings for someone dear.

cherrysupittsu

Spitz / Cherry

This is Spitz’s 13th single, a song created with the image of a new departure.

Despite having no tie-in, it became a major hit and sold over a million copies.

The title “Cherry” carries the image of breaking free from everything and setting out, inspired by cherry blossoms being flowers that bloom in spring.

dogwood (flowering dogwood)Hitoto Yo

Hitoto Yo – Hanamizuki

It is said that these lyrics were written in about a week, prompted by an email from a friend who was actually in New York during the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in the United States.

Initially, words like “terror” and “shotgun” appeared, and according to Yo Hitoto, the lyrics were provocative, but they were later pared down to arrive at the current version.

It became a major hit.

Snow BlossomNakajima Mika

Mika Nakashima 'Yuki no Hana' Music Video

As you might expect from the title, this is a popular song often listened to in winter.

At Mika Nakashima’s request, the music video was reportedly filmed in a studio at below 0 degrees Celsius.

Chosen as the theme song for a KBS drama, it became a huge hit in South Korea and has been covered not only by Japanese artists but also by many artists across Korea and other parts of Asia.

planetariumOtsuka Ai

Planetarium – Ai Otsuka (Full)

Ai Otsuka’s 10th single debuted at number one on the Oricon charts.

It’s also known as the image song for the smash-hit TV drama “Hana Yori Dango” starring Mao Inoue, and as a song that poignantly expresses the pain of young love, it enjoyed immense popularity at the time, especially among junior high and high school students.

It is said to be a song she created during her junior college years.

GarnetOku Hanako

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

This song was chosen as the theme for the hit animated film The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, and it enjoyed long-term sales alongside the movie’s extended run.

It portrays the poignant feelings of unrequited love from a woman with little romantic experience.

Known as a tear-jerking anime song, it has been covered by Chihiro Yonekura as well as many other voice actors.

One more time,One more chanceYamazaki Masayoshi

Masayoshi Yamazaki – “One more time, One more chance” MUSIC VIDEO [4K Quality]

For Masayoshi Yamazaki, it was his fourth single overall, released in 1997.

Chosen as the theme song for Yamazaki’s first starring film, “The Moon and a Cabbage,” it became a long-running hit, and was later used as the theme song for Makoto Shinkai’s anime “5 Centimeters per Second.” It was re-released in 2007 as a Special Edition and is one of Yamazaki’s signature songs.