[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)
an unrelated personKaneyori Masaru
A song that steals your heart with a heartrending voice.
It delicately weaves the complex feelings of a protagonist who can’t move on after a breakup.
Wanting to forget yet unable to, not wanting to see them yet longing to—those contradictory emotions pierce the heart.
Released digitally by the rock band Kaneyori Masaru in April 2022, the track also drew attention with its music video on YouTube.
It’s a song that stays close to those suffering the pain of heartbreak or who have experienced parting with someone dear.
The kind of track you’ll want to listen to alone, shut away in your room.
habit of laughingIgarashi Haru
A song that portrays the ache of a love too deep to forget, even as time passes.
In this track, Haru Igarashi delicately captures the frustration of how trivial everyday moments turn into special memories, and the poignancy of nights spent with those memories when you can’t move on.
Even the way the other person laughed and their gestures remain vividly etched in the mind, and the feeling is so intense that you find yourself praying to God, “Please let me forget everything.” Released in March 2025, this work will gently accompany those whose hearts are filled with memories they can’t forget, no matter how hard they try, and those who are still unable to accept parting from someone dear.
Lonely Way of the WindSugiyama Kiyotaka
A masterpiece that portrays urban loneliness and hope for the future, with a crystal-clear singing voice that resonates deep in the heart.
Like a breeze sweeping through an unfamiliar street corner, this solo work by Kiyotaka Sugiyama beautifully sings of feelings for a former lover.
It carries a profound message that even after parting with someone important, past memories never fade and continue to sustain the heart.
Released in January 1988, the song captured the hearts of many viewers as the theme for “Tuesday Suspense Theater” and reached No.
1 on the Oricon chart.
Its lyrics, which express a refreshing resignation and the courage to look forward, will surely kindle a quiet light in the hearts of those seeking to overcome the pain of heartbreak.
I can’t stop this sadnessAnri
A gem of a love song by Anri that conveys the poignant emotions of a woman whose boyfriend has been taken by her best friend, expressed through an urbane melody and sophisticated arrangement.
With her warm vocal timbre and graceful singing, your heart aches for the heroine who loses both her lover and her friend at once.
Released in November 1983, the song was issued as an advance single from the album “Timely!!” and reached No.
4 on the Oricon weekly chart.
Bolstered by its tie-in with a Shiseido commercial, it generated a huge response.
It’s a song that stays close to your heart when you want to heal the pain of a breakup—something everyone experiences at least once—while reflecting the complicated feelings stirred by the evolving relationship between friend and lover.
[Songs of Old Love] Love Songs That Recall Ended Romances (61–70)
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 Doesn’t Stop ~Turn It Into Love~Wink
A gemlike love song that captures the bittersweet feelings everyone experiences at least once—the unstoppable stirrings of romance that sprout from friendship.
Released in November 1988 and gaining attention as the theme song for the drama “I Want to Chase You!”, the track reached No.
1 on the Oricon chart the following year, selling approximately 645,000 copies.
With a swelling premonition of love in one’s heart and emotions that can’t be contained even after learning the other person already has a partner, this timeless classic speaks to all who resonate with that poignant ache.
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.