Masterpieces of bittersweet breakup songs. Recommended popular tracks.

two peopleaiko

aiko - “Futari” music video

I tell myself it’s a good thing I realized how they felt before I fell in love, and I accept the end of the romance.

This song by aiko captures that painful bravado.

Despite its up-tempo sound, it sings of the bittersweet moment when you keep getting your hopes up over the other person’s smallest gestures, only to notice their gaze is fixed on someone else.

Released in March 2008, the song reached No.

3 on the Oricon weekly chart and was later used in a Hoyu commercial.

It’s also included on the album “Himitsu.” On nights when you put on a brave face even though you’re really sad, doesn’t listening to this song make you feel like someone’s right beside you saying, “I know exactly how you feel”?

Stardust VenusAimer

Stardust Venus

This is a song by Aimer that overlays unforgettable memories of love onto the stars in the night sky and sings of heartache.

The lingering attachment to a precious person who has been lost and the increasingly idealized memories are delicately depicted through a fragile yet resolute voice.

Released as a single in August 2012, it is also included on the acclaimed album “Sleepless Nights.” As the theme song for the drama “Will Such a Luxury as Love Fall Upon Me?”, it enriched the story’s worldview.

The piano-and-strings sound this work possesses is sure to resonate deeply with listeners’ sentimental hearts.

If you listen on a quiet night when you want to be alone with your memories, it will surely wrap your heart in gentle warmth.

Never again…BENI

BENI – Never Again…

“I just want to hear your voice one more time, but I can’t.” This is BENI’s renowned ballad that sings of a heartbreakingly painful wish.

The lyrics, torn between lingering feelings for an unforgettable lover and the resolve to tell oneself there’s no going back to the past, will squeeze the hearts of anyone bearing the same pain.

There’s even an anecdote that BENI herself unexpectedly shed tears during the music video shoot, which speaks to the depth of emotion poured into this piece.

Released in December 2008 and tied in with a MBS-affiliated TV program, its memorable melody—marked by piano and strings—surely lingers in many listeners’ minds.

Also included on the album “Bitter & Sweet,” this song might be the perfect one to let a few quiet tears fall to.

Even if I give you everything, you still won’t love me.takayan

Even if I give you everything, you still won’t love me.

This is a heartbreak song distinguished by its wistful melody and lyrics that resonate deeply.

Takayan’s soul-stirring vocals vividly convey the feelings of a protagonist tormented by unrequited love.

If you’ve ever experienced the ache of offering pure affection only to have it go unreturned, you’ll surely relate.

Released in May 2024, this track offers comfort to those struggling with love.

It’s recommended for times when you want to heal the wounds of a breakup or sort out your emotions.

It will surely stay close to your heart.

handsKōda Kumi

Koda Kumi / “hands” (from the new album “WINTER of LOVE”)

Released in 2005 as Kumi Koda’s 14th single.

The lyrics were written by Kumi Koda herself, and the song was used as the ending theme for TV Asahi’s “Uchimura Produce.” It reached No.

7 on the Oricon Weekly Singles Chart and is a song that conveys the heartbreak and sadness of losing the warmth once shared.

I became someone else’s girlfriend.wacci

wacci “I Became Someone Else’s Girlfriend” Music Video

This is a song by wacci that sings of a woman’s aching heart as she chooses love for her own sake.

Haven’t you ever tried desperately to tuck a past relationship away as a memory, telling yourself that your current partner is more wonderful than the one you broke up with? Created by vocalist Yohei Hashiguchi, the piece skillfully contrasts a present love that makes you overreach with a past love where you could be yourself, portraying a wavering state of mind with finesse.

After its digital release in August 2018, it spread by word of mouth and became a long-running hit, surpassing 100 million streams.

Even though she’s decided they’ll never meet again, the final lines let her true feelings slip out—so real they strike straight to the heart.

Like this tonightaimyon

Aimyon – Stay Like This Tonight [OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO]

This is a song by Aimyon that portrays a helpless night where you dissolve your true feelings into the bubbles in your glass and surrender yourself to an ambiguous relationship.

Wishing for no more than a modest trigger to feel fulfilled evokes emotions akin to the resignation of unrequited love.

Released in November 2018, the song drew attention as the theme for the drama “We Can’t Become Beasts,” and has been streamed over 100 million times.

If you’ve ever been unable to tell someone how you really feel and felt like you might as well just go with the flow, you’ll surely understand the protagonist’s pain.

Doesn’t it feel like this song gently stays close to a heart burdened with feelings that have nowhere to go?