[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 a finished romance (81–90)
avocadoyonige
A heartbreak song by yonige steeped in lingering attachment.
The lyrics vividly capture the pain, regret, and bittersweetness of past love, leaving a strong impression.
It portrays the emptiness after a breakup and the way memories keep replaying, striking deeply at listeners’ hearts.
Included on the mini-album “Coming Spring,” released in August 2015, the song is said to be based on vocalist Arisa Ushimaru’s real experiences, and its raw emotions resonate with many.
It’s a recommended track for anyone carrying the pain of heartbreak or looking back on a past relationship.
intersectionatarayo
Atarayo is a band that caught fire mainly on social media with their emotional, piercing lyrics and vocals.
True to their tagline, “A band that grows by eating sorrow,” many of their songs resonate with feelings of sadness and pain, and this track, ‘Intersection,’ is sure to move many to tears.
It will strike a chord not only with those going through tough times right now, but also with anyone suffering from lingering feelings for someone they’ve broken up with and can’t forget.
It’s a song that carefully depicts those feelings you know you should stop, yet can’t.
Night of Osmanthuskinoko teikoku
You know how a certain smell can trigger a memory? In this song, the scent of fragrant olive (osmanthus) brings back memories of a former lover.
Since it blooms pretty much everywhere in autumn, it’s bittersweet in a way… There are just too many triggers that remind you of the person you broke up with—their favorite ice cream, their phone number—making it all the more heartrending.
That’s the kind of song this is.
Unfit to be a loverKoresawa
A song that portrays the regret of parting with a former lover and the aching realization that lost love cannot be reclaimed.
Set to the warm sound of acoustic guitar, Koresawa’s gentle vocals seep into the heart.
The lyrics candidly confess self-reproach for failing to fulfill the role of a lover and the immaturity of not being able to empathize with the other’s feelings—sentiments that many will relate to.
Released digitally in June 2019, the track drew attention as a self-cover of a song originally provided to Miyuhan.
It’s a recommended listen for those nursing the pain of heartbreak or looking back on a past romance.
MemoriesHanbaato Hanbaato
Here’s a song from a male-female duo with a tender yet heartrending voice.
Both the lyrics and the melody are filled with melancholy, so it’s perfect for when you want to sink into your feelings.
It’s a story of a love that can no longer come true—I wish I could see what happens next, even if only in a dream.
MPurinsesu Purinsesu
This is a touching song by PRINCESS PRINCESS that sings of the bittersweet feelings after breaking up with a lover.
The lingering attachment of the protagonist is expressed through lyrics that tighten the chest.
After being included on the 1988 album “LET’S GET CRAZY,” it was released as a single the following year.
It was also used in the NHK morning drama series “Dandan,” moving the hearts of many.
For those suffering from heartbreak, and even for anyone who has lost someone dear, this song may awaken emotions deep within.
[Old Love Songs] Love Songs That Recall Past Relationships (91–100)
AitaiKato Miria
Singer-songwriter Miliyah Kato, known as the queen of heartbreak songs, has healed the wounded hearts of many women.
Released in 2011, “Aitai” is a love song that sings of lingering feelings for an ex who has come to love someone else, or an unbreakable longing for someone already taken.
It’s imbued with the painful sentiment that “we can’t even meet anymore.” Even nearly ten years after its release, it remains so popular that it was chosen for a performance on THE FIRST TAKE.
It’s recommended for when you want to dwell in lingering attachment.
