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

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.

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.

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.

It feels like I’m in love.Yuika

It’s like I’m in love / “Yuika” [MV]

This is a song that expresses the ache of unrequited love in a straightforward way.

Released in February 2024 as Yuika’s major-label debut, it was also featured as an insert song on the TV show “Koisuru ♥ Shuumatsu Homestay 2024 Winter.” The delicate lyrics portray the struggle between wanting to confess your feelings and lacking the courage to do so.

Yuika wrote and composed the song herself, and it’s said that her feelings are also woven into the piano interlude melody.

It’s a recommended track not only for those currently in a one-sided love, but also for anyone who finds themselves reminiscing about past romances.

The heart-fluttering lyrics are sure to resonate with you.

I Want to Be Honest feat. KagechiyoHisame

Hisame / I Want to Be Honest feat. Kagechiyo (Official Music Video)

A duet by Hisame and Kagechiyo that sets the complex emotions of a girl in love to a pop melody.

While hiding her feelings, she can’t help but be preoccupied with the person she likes—her wavering heart is delicately portrayed over a light, buoyant rhythm.

Released in March 2025, the music video has garnered hundreds of thousands of views on YouTube.

It’s a must-listen for anyone who’s experienced that frustrating kind of love where you like someone so much you just can’t be honest about it.

EsperanzaNishino Kana

Kana Nishino “Esperanza” MV Full

A song by Kana Nishino that expresses the bittersweet feelings of a woman’s unrequited love through passionate Latin sounds.

Even though she knows the person she likes already has a partner, the woman’s complex emotions still resonate deeply.

The sound of Spanish guitar and the powerful vocals beautifully fuse heartache with a forward-looking spirit.

Released in May 2011, it was used as the theme song for Nippon TV’s “Sukkiri!!” and was included on the album “Thank you, Love.” It won the Excellence Award at the 53rd Japan Record Awards.

This is a song that stands by women troubled by unrequited love and gives them the courage to keep looking ahead without giving up.

I hope I can be your lover.Kaneyori Masaru

Kaneyori Masaru [I Hope I Can Be Your Lover] Music Video

An emotional rock sound that soaks into the heart, blending aching longing with earnest wishes.

In the delicate lyrics woven by Kaneyori Masaru, the feelings of being unable to take a step forward while keeping love hidden are vividly portrayed.

Perfectly balancing the sweetness of young love with the fear it may never reach the other person, this track is included on the album “To Us Who Won’t Live Yesterday,” set for release in January 2025.

It also drew attention as the theme song for the film “Yoyogi Johnny’s Melancholy After School.” A must-listen for anyone who thinks of someone special yet struggles to put their feelings into words.