Masterpieces that sing of love. Recommended popular songs.

I want to hug you.NEW!Mr.Children

Mr.Children “I Want to Hold You” Mr.Children [(an imitation) blood orange] Tour

A classic Mr.Children ballad you’ll want to listen to on nights when your heart overflows with love for someone you truly cherish.

It’s said to have been originally written for a friend’s wedding, and its warmth makes it perfect for special occasions.

Released in December 1992 as their second single, it also appears on the album “Kind of Love,” which came out the same day.

It was used as an insert song in the final episode of the 1996 drama “Pure,” heightening the story’s emotional impact.

Kazutoshi Sakurai’s wistful yet powerful vocals deliver a straightforward, pure wish—to simply protect the one you love.

Give it a listen during the winter chill or in moments when your feelings for someone special grow stronger.

Mermaid in FebruaryAKB48

2gatsuno Mermaid

This AKB48 song paints a romantic scene that makes you want to head to the chilly seaside in lingering-February cold.

It’s memorable for lyrics that liken carefree frolicking by the winter ocean to a mermaid, turning even the cold spray of the waves into shared memories.

Performed as a unit song with Azuki Yagi on vocals at a theater show in December 2024, it was later included on the album “AKB48 ~studio recordings collection~ AKB48 18th Stage ‘Koko Kara da,’” released in December 2025.

This work is a bittersweet love song that captures feelings of affection so strong they make even selfish behavior seem adorable.

It’s the perfect track for gazing out at the quiet winter sea and sinking into a sentimental mood.

About the two of uskarin

Karin “About the Two of Us” [MV]

Singer-songwriter Karin, who gained attention from her piano-and-vocal videos on TikTok.

Released in March 2023, this song portrays lovers facing a farewell at a quiet bus stop.

Though they speak different languages and grew up in different environments, they spent their days laughing at the same things and crying over the same things.

In lyrics that gently trace the overlapping of their hearts, a form of love that transcends gender and nationality comes into view.

It’s a song that resonates with the determination to keep believing in each other, even when distance keeps them apart and they can’t meet when they want to.

Last Love Lettermoon drop

moon drop [Last Love Letter] Music Video

From an intro that bursts with the sweet tang of youth and sets your heart dancing, this is the quintessential popular number by moon drop.

Many listeners are sure to feel their chests tighten at the lyrics’ worldview, where the frustration of unrequited love and unspoken feelings intersect.

The track is included on their first full-length album, “Kono Tenohira ga Mada Kimi o Oboete Iru,” released in January 2022.

It was also used as a CM song for Honda Cars, broadcast across seven prefectures in the Chubu region, including Aichi and Mie, so plenty of people have likely heard its refreshing melody on TV.

This song sets indecisive feelings toward someone you love and a premonition of love’s end to an easygoing beat.

It’s perfect not only for students swaying with tender crushes, but also for anyone who wants to bask in bittersweet memories from the past.

copycatkankan

Copycat / Kankan

Even if you imitate someone else, you can never become your true self.

This is Kankan’s “Copycat,” a song that portrays that heartrending inner conflict.

Interweaving romantic feelings with wavering identity, it delicately depicts a protagonist weighed down by unfulfilled longing and the frustrating gap of never quite reaching the ideal person they try to emulate.

The ambiguous bond that may or may not be called love, and the mix of self-denial and yearning, are emotions many can relate to regardless of gender or the form their relationships take.

It’s a track I especially recommend to anyone grappling with complicated feelings of love.

365 daysMr.Children

Mr.Children “365 Days” Mr.Children TOUR POPSAURUS 2012

With lyrics that are quintessentially Mr.Children—deep and open to various interpretations—the song captures the desire to remain someone special to the person you love, to shine light on their heart, whether it’s unrequited or mutual affection.

It’s a mature track that doesn’t straightforwardly declare love, yet if you listen closely to the lyrics, it becomes the ultimate love song.

dancerVaundy

[75th NHK Kouhaku Uta Gassen Performance Song] Odoriko / Vaundy: Music Video

This is a track released in November 2021 by Vaundy, a multi-artist who handles everything from songwriting and composing to visuals.

As Junji Ishiwatari described it, it embodies a “beauty of subtraction,” possessing a mysterious charm that captivates listeners with just simple rhythm and vocals.

The song depicts a bittersweet longing: dreaming of a future with someone who has drifted away, wishing for a chance to start over.

You can almost picture the protagonist’s helplessness.

The track is also included on the acclaimed album “replica.” Why not give it a listen on a night when you want to reminisce about a past love and indulge in a touch of sentimentality?