[Heartbreak Songs] A selection of poignant love songs that pierce the heart of those with unrequited love
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.
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[Heartbreak Songs] A selection of bittersweet love songs that pierce the hearts of the lovelorn (51–60)
AitaiKato Miria
A beloved hit by Miliyah Kato, “Aitai” has been covered by many singers both in Japan and abroad.
No matter how much I get hurt, even if I’m not number one, I just want to be loved…
It’s a one-sided love song that captures that unrequited longing.
From the very first notes of the piano in the intro, you’re drawn into the world of the song.
SoulmateYuika
It’s a song by the singer-songwriter Yuika that looks back on the memories the two shared while giving voice to hearts that are slowly drifting apart.
The piano layered over the band sound is striking, and the restlessly moving melody evokes the wavering of the heart.
The lyrics seem to focus on the paths each person takes after the breakup, capturing how they both find different forms of happiness while occasionally looking back on their past memories.
It also conveys a sense of gratitude toward the person they’ve since parted from—an idea that the pain of parting is what made their present happiness possible.
MPRINCESS PRINCESS
A major presence that could even be called the “founding mother of girls’ bands,” PRINCESS PRINCESS—aka PuriPuri—scored this huge hit.
If you’re in your 50s, it’s right in your wheelhouse.
When the lyrics mentioned a boyfriend whose initial is M, fans at the time were all abuzz: “Who is M?” This straightforward breakup ballad—about a beloved boyfriend M she never wanted to part from—also opened up a new frontier for PuriPuri.
If you’ve gone through a breakup, you might sing this at karaoke to soothe the hurt.
A nostalgia-filled heartbreak song—highly recommended across generations.
NAOHY
This is a heartbreak song with a wistful atmosphere by HY, a band from Uruma City in Okinawa Prefecture.
It is said to have been created based on a breakup experience of vocalist Izumi Nakasone’s friend.
Centered around the piano, the gentle soundscape highlights her powerful, resonant vocals and the pain infused in her voice.
It expresses the regret that follows a breakup and the overwhelming lingering attachment, conveying the inability to let go of one’s feelings and the accompanying anguish.
[Heartbreak Songs] A selection of bittersweet love songs that pierce the heart of those with unrequited love (61–70)
someone I likeUeno Yūka
This is a tearful breakup ballad written and composed by Hanako Oku, who has sung many love songs.
The story painted in the lyrics is that the person the protagonist falls for is the same person their friend falls for…
Isn’t this a situation many of us experienced back in our school days? Some of you might even be struggling with this kind of relationship right now.
The lyrics are filled with feelings of regret, and listening to this song may give you the courage to take a step forward.
Just… I miss youEXILE
EXILE has always continued to shine as a leader of each era.
Among their work, many people might say they love EXILE the most from the time they were singing “Tada… Aitakute”! The songwriting duo of Shunsuke Kiyokiba and Hitoshi Harukawa, who created this track, also truly shine here.
The lyrics—“We broke up after our romance, but I still want to see you; I won’t ask for anything…”—could easily come off as clingy, yet they’re expressed with refined, elegant wording.
It’s a song you’ll want to listen to when you get a bit sentimental remembering an old love.
Even if I become someone’s girlfriendUNFAIR RULE
This is a rock number by UNFAIR RULE, a rock band from Okayama, where lingering feelings for a finished romance collide with a brave front.
Set to a driving band sound, the raw words drawn from Tamaha Yamamoto’s real-life experiences pierce the heart.
Even in the complicated situation where the other person may already have a new partner, it portrays feelings that won’t fade and a core strength to keep walking on your own.
It was included as the first track on the EP “Hibi no Kakera,” released in November 2025.
For those who suffer through nights of an unrecoverable relationship, or who want to move on but just can’t, it will resonate painfully well.
Let yourself sink into the powerful yet heartrending vocals.