[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 remind you of a finished romance (51–60)
KissHugaiko
The song “KissHug” sings of a single-minded love.
It’s a love song used as an insert track in “Hana Yori Dango F.” She tells the person she once broke up with, “You’re not just a friend—I’ve always loved you.” It’s a song we want women to hear who, like in this song, can’t forget someone even when they can no longer see them.
There are seasons when unforgettable memories resurface, aren’t there? And some loves you try to forget but simply can’t… This is a song that tightens your chest with the longing wish, “I want to see you.”
Street Loveindigo la End
“Toorikoi” is very much a song about lingering attachment.
It depicts unwavering feelings for a former lover.
The track is included on indigo la End’s album “Nureyuku Shōsetsu (A Soaking I-Novel).” Reading through the lyrics, it seems the two were involved in a secret romance.
They couldn’t tell anyone, and perhaps they weren’t even allowed to cling to each other when it ended.
Even so, the fact that they can still say “I love you” suggests it was serious.
People say a new love heals a broken heart, but a love that perseveres like this is valid too, isn’t it?
DaydreamreGretGirl
This is a song that pierces the heart with the pain of heartbreak and lingering feelings.
The lyrics are filled with thoughts of a former lover, overflowing with a bittersweet mood.
The realistic imagery—like the scent of hair left on a pillow and a severed red thread—might bring you to tears.
Included on reGretGirl’s first mini-album, “my,” this track was released in December 2017.
Anyone who has experienced a breakup will relate to it, and it’s sure to resonate deeply.
It’s a wistful love song you’ll want to listen to on a solitary night.
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.
[Songs of Old Love] Love Songs That Recall Ended Romances (61–70)
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.
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.
Full of memoriesH₂O
A smash hit by H2O released in 1983.
Its catchy vibe is familiar even to those who aren’t from that generation, and listening to it brings back a fresh, innocent feeling.
As a love song, it feels like the theme is first love—maybe it carries the faint longings and pure emotions we had as children.
The lyrics are story-like and easy to visualize, making it a perfect fit for a romance between a younger woman and an older man.
The fleeting atmosphere and sense of sparkle are heart-fluttering.
