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

Ambiguous BlueKawasaki Takaya

Takaya Kawasaki - Ambiguous Blue [OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO]

A heart-stirring love song that portrays jealousy born from lovesickness and feelings that can’t be grasped.

Its simple yet striking piano and acoustic guitar melodies further highlight the frustration of a hesitant heart.

As the affection that grows with getting to know someone more deeply intertwines with aching emotions, Takaya Kawasaki’s gentle voice weaves them together with care.

Chosen as the theme song for the MBS drama “Fukushū Kareshi: Deki-Ai Shachō no Kao ni wa Ura ga Aru” (“Revenge Boyfriend: The Doting CEO Has a Hidden Side”), this track speaks to anyone in love who wants to know more about their partner yet feels anxious when they know too much.

Recommended for those struggling with the delicate distance in a relationship.

YOU… feat. Izumi Nakasone (HY)Kato Miria

Miliyah Kato “YOU… feat. Izumi Nakasone (HY)”

Speaking of collaborations between powerhouse female singers, we can’t forget this song by Miliyah Kato and Izumi Nakasone of HY.

Based on real unrequited-love stories sent in by radio listeners, the two artists co-created this gem of a ballad.

Released in September 2014 as their 30th single, it was also included on the milestone 10th-anniversary album “MUSE.” The frustration of not being able to put your feelings into words, and the emotional wavering as you move toward confessing your love, come through poignantly in the harmony between Kato’s delicate vocals and Nakasone’s warm voice.

Chosen as the theme song for a radio drama, this track just might gently give you the push you need if you’re struggling with a one-sided love.

habit of laughingIgarashi Haru

Haru Igarashi – Laughing Habit (Official Music Video)

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.

I only know your profileHanbaato Hanbaato

Humbert Humbert – Yokogao Shika Shiranai [Official Music Video]

Set to an acoustic timbre, this unadorned, steadily woven lyric seeps into the heart—a one-sided love song.

Just watching the person you like from afar, knowing only a small part of them… That frustrating, bittersweet sense of distance is delicately portrayed through warm male–female twin vocals.

There are no grand words, yet the protagonist’s awkward feelings come through, and many listeners may find themselves overlaying their own experiences onto it.

This track is included on the folk duo Humbert Humbert’s 15th anniversary album “FOLK,” released in June 2016.

If you listen while harboring a love you can’t bring yourself to declare, you may feel the gentle melody and voices quietly stay by your side.

two peopleaiko

aiko - “Futari” music video

This is a song by aiko that captures the hazy, conflicted feelings in love.

The poignant lyrics contrast strikingly with the up-tempo melody.

It portrays a strong attraction to the other person while also expressing anxiety about falling too deep and a sense of self-protection, brilliantly conveying the complexity of romance.

Released in March 2008, it reached No.

3 on the Oricon Weekly Singles Chart.

Six years later, in 2014, it was used in a Hoyu commercial, drawing renewed attention.

It’s a recommended track for those struggling with love or having trouble sorting out their feelings.

the depths of the heartrokudenashi

Rokudenashi “In the Depths of the Heart” / Rokudenashi – Deep Down [Official Music Video]

A bittersweet love ballad by Rokudenashi that resonates deeply.

It weaves delicate words about the loneliness that comes at dusk and the urgent feelings hidden behind a smile.

While yearning to be loved, the wavering heart that hesitates to face its true feelings seeps in along with gentle piano melodies.

Released in February 2025 as the lead track from the album “Sigh,” this song reaches out to those who, even while carrying wounded, unsettled hearts, try to look ahead with cherished memories held close.

Love even your melancholyKoresawa

Koresawa “Love Even the Melancholy” [Music Video]

A heartwarming pop tune by Koresawa that delicately portrays the feelings of a girl living with the negative emotions everyone experiences.

Released in August 2020, this first single is a re-recording of a song long regarded as a legendary hidden gem.

Set to a gentle, acoustic guitar–driven sound, it conveys the strength to move forward while harboring vague anxieties and loneliness—and learning to accept them.

It’s the perfect track for anyone who resonates with the stance of not denying any feeling but choosing to love them, or for those who want to keep looking ahead even while carrying a touch of melancholy.