[To Those in Love] Relatable Love Songs to Listen to When You’re Crushing Hard

A devoted girl.Yuika

A single-minded girl. / 'Yuika' [MV]

This piece sets straightforward feelings of love to a bright band sound.

Released in April 2025 with Ryo Hanai handling the arrangement, it vividly captures a fresh page of youth.

Written back in high school, it carefully and realistically weaves words of inner conflict over unrequited love and unwavering devotion.

There’s plenty here that younger listeners will relate to.

If you’re in the middle of a one-sided crush, give it a listen!

AitaiKato Miria

Miliyah Kato - “Aitai”

Miliyah Kato’s “Aitai” makes your chest ache with lyrics that portray a heartbreaking, unrequited love that can never come true.

Included on her 2009 album “Ring,” the song was also used in the film “Akunin” (Villain).

Even if the person you love already has a partner or is in love with someone else, once your feelings begin, they’re not so easily stopped.

The lyrics depict that unbearable longing—the pain of loving someone so much you just want to be seen by them.

For anyone suffering through a one-sided love, this song will resonate and offer comfort.

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SAKI

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You are my destined person.Funatsu Mahiro

Masato Funatsu “You Are My Destiny” Official Music Video

How about a love song that celebrates the joy of finding that one special person in a world overflowing with encounters? This track by singer-songwriter Masato Funatsu, a favorite among the social media generation, was released in July 2023.

As his first original song in about a year and five months, it’s irresistibly charming with its buoyant pop sound and sweet vocals.

The single-minded feelings of the protagonist—who, among countless options, is certain that you are the one—come through so clearly that just listening fills you with happiness.

Whether you want to confess your feelings to someone special or rekindle the excitement of romance, this song will surely give you the courage to take that first step.

biscuitYU-KI

YUKI “Biscuit”

“Biscuit” by YUKI paints a very cute picture of budding love.

It was released digitally in 2007 and later included on the best-of album “five-star.” The song expresses a straightforward wish to share all kinds of things in life with the one you love, and a hope that such sincere feelings will reach that special person.

YUKI’s vocals and the unadorned, honest lyrics make the song’s pure emotions even more charming.

It’s also a great track for a boost of courage right before a confession.

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Unrequited loveOku Hanako

Unrequited love

Oku Hanako’s “Kataomoi” is filled with the desire to cherish the feeling of love.

It’s included on her 2005 indie-era album Oku Hanako vol.best.

Whether or not a romance comes to fruition, we hope you’ll treasure the budding feelings of love as a part of your life.

It might not blossom right away, but maybe someday it will… Holding onto that quiet hope, this is a song that makes you want to embrace your feelings as they are now, without embarrassment.

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Love letterHey! Say! JUMP

Love letter

This is a ballad that captures the frustration of being unable to take that first step in love, alongside the pure feelings you hold for someone.

Its structure—passing the vocals along over delicate piano and strings—seems to carefully trace the subtle shifts of a wavering heart.

Many listeners will likely feel a tightening in their chest at the image of someone entrusting their overflowing feelings to a letter, lacking the courage to speak directly.

It’s the coupling track included on the standard edition of the single “encore,” released in May 2025.

While the title track drew attention as a TV drama theme, this song quietly won fans over as a hidden gem.

It’s a piece that stays close on nights when you want to keep thinking of someone in silence.

For anyone experiencing a one-sided love and finding it hard to be honest, this is a work you should definitely hear.

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.