A wonderful heartbreak song

[Heartbreak Songs] A selection of poignant love songs that pierce the heart of those with unrequited love

Accompanist / Piano Instructoryuri
Accompanist pianist × piano instructor × web writer. I began piano lessons at age four and, inspired by my piano teacher, decided to pursue music. I went on to specialized music programs in high school and university, where I discovered the appeal of accompanying instrumentalists and singers. Currently, alongside teaching piano, I work mainly in my home region of Aichi as an accompanist for flute, voice, choir, and more. Through lessons, my students often introduce me to trending songs, and my hobby is trying anything on the piano—Japanese and Western pop, commercial jingles, and beyond. Since 2021, I’ve also been active as a web writer, covering music and a variety of other genres.
Deputy Editor of RAG MUSICsasashina
Deputy Editor of RAG MUSIC. JFC-certified fact-checker. I’m Sasashina, a mom currently raising an elementary schooler and a preschooler. During my student years at Kyoto College of Science and Technology, I studied a wide range of fields including sound, lighting, and video technology, building a foundation in comprehensive stage production and creative expression. After graduation, I joined a music production company, where I still work, consistently building experience in production and engaging in a variety of music-centered tasks. Currently, I mainly handle articles for children, drawing on what I’ve learned about parenting and what I feel and discover through daily interactions with my kids. I hope my work can be of help to you, even in a small way!

A bittersweet crush that makes your chest tighten.

But have you ever had a moment when you suddenly realized that your feelings would never come true?

Like when the person you like asks you for love advice and your heartbreak is sealed, or when you and a friend fall for the same person and you can’t bring yourself to confess—things like that.

Unrequited love can end for many reasons besides confessing and being rejected.

In this article, we’ve gathered “unrequited love heartbreak songs” for those who can’t forget the one they love and feel pangs of regret whenever they remember.

May you find a song that gently stays by your aching heart.

[Heartbreak Songs] A selection of bittersweet love songs that pierce the hearts of the lovelorn (1–10)

I’ve fallen in love.YUTORI-SEDAI

YUTORI-SEDAI – I Fell in Love [Official Music Video]

I’ve fallen in love.YUTORI-SEDAI

A heartrending song that portrays an unstoppable longing, even while knowing you shouldn’t move forward.

It’s a rock track YUTORI-SEDAI delivers in July 2024.

With a sense of urgency like a racing heartbeat, it captures the emotional sway of not being able to suppress your feelings, even as you worry you might just be getting played.

The song was selected as the 50th anniversary commercial track for Aeon Topvalu, and the music video features Rio Kitano, a TikTok sensation.

It’s sure to resonate with anyone who can’t stop thinking about that special someone.

Raise the rankinglower

Report a problem

Tulipindigo la End

indigo la End “Tulip”

Tulipindigo la End

This song by indigo la End beautifully captures the pain and fragility of a love born from heartbreak.

A red tulip symbolizes “true love,” a white tulip “lost love,” and a yellow tulip “hopeless love.” Using the meanings of these three colors as its motif, the song portrays the poignant feelings of a protagonist completely dyed in the other person’s colors.

The members’ gentle performance and Enon Kawatani’s delicate vocals envelop the emotions that waver between clinging to love and accepting its end.

Released as a digital single in February 2020 and later included on the album Yakou Himitsu, this track offers comfort to those facing the end of a romance or looking back on a past love.

Raise the rankinglower

Report a problem

phantom / illusion / vision / fantasyMy Hair is Bad

Maboroshi

phantom / illusion / vision / fantasyMy Hair is Bad

This song poignantly portrays the pain of heartbreak swaying between dreams and reality.

Awoken in the middle of the night, the protagonist reunites with a phantom lover in a dream, delicately revisiting past memories and the moment of their parting.

The anguish of a heart torn by the gap between the wish to “start over” and an unyielding reality is sure to resonate deeply with listeners.

My Hair is Bad released the track in September 2017 as part of the double A-side single “Unmei / Maboroshi,” and it was also included on the album “mothers,” released in November of the same year.

It’s a song that offers solace to those who, still nursing the wounds of a breakup, can’t yet forget the person they loved.

Raise the rankinglower

Report a problem

[Heartbreak Songs] A selection of bittersweet love songs that pierce the hearts of the lovelorn (11–20)

366 daysHY

366 Days – HY (Full)

366 daysHY

A timeless masterpiece by HY that sings of an undying, profound love for someone who has left.

As the singer senses the other’s feelings drifting away, the way they bravely hold back their sorrow tightens the heart.

This song was included on the album “HeartY,” released in April 2008, and was chosen as the theme song for the film Red Thread.

Moreover, in 2024, a drama inspired by this piece was also broadcast.

Heartbreak is painful, but the experience of loving one person so deeply will surely benefit your future relationships and life.

Listen to this song, take confidence in the thought that “this love was not a mistake,” and move forward into a new romance!

Raise the rankinglower

Report a problem

wishsumika

sumika / Wish [Music Video]

wishsumika

Sumika’s bittersweet unrequited love and heartbreak song “Negai.” It was also used as the theme song for the drama “Ossan’s Love -in the sky-,” so those who watched the show surely know it.

It’s a painfully sad track that contrasts how deeply they love with how hopelessly unrequited that love is.

You can’t help but want to cheer them on with a “Hang in there!”

Raise the rankinglower

Report a problem

I like you, but it seems you don’t really like me.back number

I like you, but it seems you don't really like me / back number (cover)

I like you, but it seems you don't really like me.back number

As its straightforward title, “I Like You, But You Don’t Seem to Like Me,” suggests, this back number song expresses the feelings of confessing love only to be turned down.

Included on their fourth major studio album, Chandelier, released in 2015, the track was never released as a single yet remains highly popular among fans, and it even inspired the short film “Everything I Can Still Do for You.” Sung from a male perspective, it’s a heartrending piece that captures emotions that can’t be contained.

Raise the rankinglower

Report a problem

Because I fell in loveaimyon

Aimyon “Because I Fell in Love” Studio Recording Scene

Because I fell in loveaimyon

A song by a woman who can’t forget her feelings after unrequited love has ended.

Aimyon’s gentle voice and the relaxed tempo express the sadness precisely because she loved someone.

The lyrics say that while she was in love, the world looked beautiful—and at the same time, it could look sorrowful.

Happiness and anxiety existed side by side.

For those heartbroken who can’t even eat, listening to this will surely bring comfort.

Raise the rankinglower

Report a problem