[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 Past Relationships (41–50)
Love MemoryMatsuzaki Shigeru
This is a gem of a love ballad sung by Shigeru Matsuzaki.
The lyrics, celebrating deep affection and the joy of life, overflow with a pure vow of eternal love.
Released in August 1977, it became a major talking point as the theme song for Glico Almond Chocolate, starring Tomokazu Miura and Momoe Yamaguchi in the commercial.
That same year, Matsuzaki made his first appearance on NHK’s Kōhaku Uta Gassen, and the following year the song was selected as the entrance march for the 50th National High School Baseball Invitational Tournament.
It’s a piece you’ll want to listen to while reflecting on those irreplaceable memories of love that everyone experiences at least once.
[Old Love Songs] Love songs that remind you of a finished romance (51–60)
I Want to See You ~Missing You~Matsuda Seiko
A gemlike love ballad that sings of the pain of heartbreak everyone experiences at least once and the longing for a reunion.
The tender, heartrending lyrics penned by Seiko Matsuda herself are etched deeply in the heart along with nostalgic memories.
Each time her sweet, soft voice rings out over the gentle melody, memories of a past lover come flooding back.
Released in April 1996, this song drew major attention as the ending theme for “Beat Takeshi’s TV Tackle” and as a Canon commercial song.
It’s the kind of nostalgic love song you’ll find yourself softly humming on nights when you recall the warmth of someone you once loved, immersing yourself in the feelings of those days.
Parting CitySuzuki Masayuki
A gem of a ballad by Masayuki Suzuki, depicting a heartrending breakup, with lyrics, composition, and arrangement all by Kazumasa Oda.
The transience of a drifting heart, the pure devotion of believing in the words they shared, and the regret for a past that can never be reclaimed.
These soul-tearing emotions are exquisitely conveyed through Suzuki’s rich, velvety voice.
Released in September 1989, the song was featured as an insert track for the drama “LUCKY! Tenshi, Miyako e Iku” and in a Ginza Jewelry Maki commercial, and was later included on the album “Dear Tears.” On a quiet night, when you feel like immersing yourself in memories of someone dear, why not lend your ear to this song?
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.
Stop this nightJUJU
“I don’t want to break up,” so it flows naturally into “Please Stop This Night.” You can feel a lingering attachment even in the part that says, “I’ll forget about you.” The phrasing “I’ll do it for you” has a condescending nuance—you wouldn’t say that to someone unless you had very strong feelings, right? With the mid-tempo feel, JUJU’s voice, it even makes you sense a love that surpasses lingering attachment.
It can also be taken as lyrics about two people who still truly love each other but choose to part for each other’s sake.
Current boyfriend, ex-boyfriendNatural Radio Station
This is a recommended song for girls who are dating their current boyfriend but can’t forget their ex.
The lyrics are easy to relate to, like how you want to cherish your current boyfriend but still can’t help thinking about your ex.
It conveys the complex yet meaningful feelings—different kinds of love for both your ex and your current boyfriend—and shows that both are important forms of love.
IfSLOTH
A very heartrending love song woven only from the “what if” of lingering attachment.
Behind the lyrics that say, “If I hadn’t met you, I wouldn’t have felt this sad,” I think there’s also a sense of gratitude: “Because I met you…” That may be why it leads to the hope of believing in a miracle and waiting for you afterward.
It’s a song packed with beautiful words.
Even reading just the lyrics conveys the aching sense of lingering regret.