[Old Love Songs] Love songs that recall a love that has ended
There are loves that are still ongoing, and loves that have ended but can’t be forgotten.
In this article, we’re introducing “songs of past love.”
They’re songs that make you remember and feel nostalgic about old romances—sometimes even bring you to tears with a passion that hasn’t cooled.
We’ve gathered a variety, from bright, breezy tracks that feel completely refreshed to bittersweet love songs where the wounds still don’t seem to heal.
If you’re looking for love songs that bring back memories of past relationships, be sure to give these a listen.
Take your time and lose yourself, alone, in the memories of a nostalgic love.
- [Once More…] A lingering-attachment song: a song about a love you can’t forget
- [No Going Back] A Love Song About Regret
- [Lingering Feelings and Regrets] A Love Song for You Who Can’t Forget Your Ex-Boyfriend
- Classic songs that sing about the past. Recommended popular tracks.
- A love song that feels like youth. Love songs you want to listen to—and remember—during your adolescent years.
- Bittersweet love songs to listen to when the person you like already has a girlfriend or boyfriend
- A love song that reminds those in their 60s of a forgotten romance
- Breakup songs recommended for people in their 80s: a collection of classic tracks that capture heartbreaking feelings
- A heartbreak song that resonates in the chest of a man in his 60s: memories of youth woven by classic Showa-era masterpieces
- Bittersweet feelings come rushing back! Recommended love songs for the Yutori generation
- [Remembering the Pain of Love…] Breakup Songs Recommended for People in Their 60s
- From bittersweet tracks to heart-wrenching tunes! Heisei-era unrequited love songs
- Recommended heartbreak songs for women in their 70s. A collection of classic Showa-era breakup masterpieces.
【Old Love Songs】Love songs that recall ended romances (71–80)
I don’t want to see you; I want to see you.Ueno Yūka
A ballad by Yuuka Ueno that sets painfully bittersweet scenes of heartbreak—so vivid they make your chest ache just remembering—against a simple, piano-led melody.
Six months after the breakup, the protagonist’s heart is still tangled in conflicting emotions born from being unable to forget their former lover: aching to see them, yet not wanting to.
Included on the January 2019 album “Sukina Hito wa Anata datta” (“You Were the One I Loved”), this song is sure to resonate deeply with anyone who has gone through a breakup and still hasn’t sorted out their feelings.
When they suddenly come to mind in a quiet moment, why not listen to this track and face your true feelings?
Slow motionNakamori Akina
A gem of a love song that portrays a fateful encounter on the beach as if time itself had stopped.
Its delicate lyrics and harmonious melody leave a striking impression, letting the protagonist’s pounding heartbeat seep into the listener’s own.
Released in May 1982 as Akina Nakamori’s debut single and included on the album “Prologue
It’s a track perfect for the season of refreshing spring breezes, and anyone who has ever felt the thrill of budding romance is sure to relate.
Why not surrender to the pleasant early-summer wind and bask in those bittersweet memories?
I won’t fall in love anymore.Makihara Noriyuki
A masterpiece that delicately portrays a man’s emotions after heartbreak, offering listeners hope and empathy.
While he pretends to be strong, saying, “It’s not like I can’t do anything without you,” the way he feels his lover’s absence in everyday life is striking.
Released in May 1992 and used as a TV drama theme song, it reached No.
2 on the Oricon weekly chart.
Its million-selling success shows how deeply it resonated with many people.
This is a song that gently supports those trying to overcome the pain of a breakup and move forward again.
A must-listen for anyone who has gone through a painful parting.
I’m sorryTakahashi Mariko
A song depicting a heartrending farewell and lingering regret, released in May 1996 by Mariko Takahashi as the theme for Tuesday Suspense Theater.
With a clear, translucent voice, it poignantly conveys the feelings of a woman who has hurt someone precious and committed an irreparable mistake.
The portrayal of regret over romantic missteps, the plea for forgiveness, and the earnest love for someone dear is deeply moving.
It is a piece that offers profound empathy to those struggling with relationships or who have experienced a painful parting.
A masterpiece that everyone who has known heartbreak or separation should hear.
Love’s Melody and Rainy SkiesAAA
This song, released in 2013, is one of AAA’s signature tracks.
It was featured in an Ito-Yokado commercial, and I think many people will recognize its catchy chorus melody.
Looking at the lyrics, they can be interpreted as depicting a relationship that’s more than friends but not quite lovers, or as portraying a man from a broken-up couple who still has lingering feelings and hopes to get back together.
If you take the lyrics in the latter sense, the words will probably hit especially hard for men who want to reconcile with their ex-girlfriends.
It might even give you the courage to ask that unforgettable ex to get back together.
I miss youBEGIN
It’s an old song, but it really has a soothing feel, doesn’t it? The straightforward lyrics and relaxed rhythm bring back all kinds of memories.
The lyrics that show regret are truly moving.
It’s a bittersweet and beautiful song, I think.
Lingering feelings for youCHIHIRO
The theme of this song is that the feeling of unrequited love continues whether you’ve broken up or are still together.
The title, “Kimi ni Miren” (Lingering Feelings for You), is straightforward too.
The parts about trying to delete the other person’s contact info, and about how you’d end up crying if they got a new boyfriend, are vivid depictions overflowing with lingering attachment.
Maybe lingering feelings are especially common at the end of clumsy romances.
What do you think?