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

By your side.riria.

riria. / By Your Side [Music Video]

Many people have probably fallen for someone who’s popular and kind to everyone, and felt restless with jealousy.

Riria’s new work portrays the sweet yet bittersweet longing of wishing that person would look only at you.

You might even see yourself in the protagonist, who wants to have them all to herself but can’t be honest about it.

The song was included on the May 2022 EP “Kiroku” (“Record”) and served as an insert track in a romantic reality show, quietly watching over the twists and turns of love.

If you’re struggling to confess your feelings to someone you like, why not let this song give you a gentle push?

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.

You let me do as I please, and yet…arekunn

You’re the one who let me fall for you / Arekun [Official Music Video]

A heart-wrenching love song by Are-kun that delicately portrays the feelings of a woman suffering from complex emotions after being led on and ultimately betrayed.

The protagonist falls in love and rides an emotional roller coaster in response to the other person’s behavior, while gradually sensing the loneliness of a cooling relationship.

Released in September 2020 and included on the album “Breath,” the song gained traction primarily on social media and drew widespread empathy.

It’s a resonant track that offers comfort to anyone who’s been strung along by suggestive behavior or is struggling with their feelings for someone they care about.

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.

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.

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.

Planet of Love ‘You’Tomioka Ai

Ai Tomioka – Planet in Love “You” (Music Video)

A new song by Ai Tomioka that captures the mysterious allure of love set against the cosmos.

Released on Valentine’s Day in February 2024, the track poignantly portrays a lovestruck heart by likening it to a planet.

Produced by MEG, the piece pairs beautifully with Tomioka’s translucent vocals, resulting in a sound that resonates deeply with listeners.

Its dreamy world, beginning with an encounter with a UFO, brilliantly reflects the shifting feelings of someone in love—something you can’t help but relate to.

It’s perfect not only for those experiencing unrequited love, but also for anyone who longs for romance.

Highly recommended for listening while gazing up at the winter night sky.