When you hear the phrase “breakup song,” what kind of track comes to mind?
For example, there are plenty of songs set in specific scenes—like the room where two people spent time together or the park where they often took walks.
When these songs overlap with your own experiences, your sense of empathy suddenly deepens, and you find yourself wanting to listen to them over and over.
Among the scenes often depicted in breakup songs, isn’t rain one of the classics?
Rain is frequently used in imagery to express negative emotions, and it suits that gloomy feeling after a breakup very well.
In this article, we’ll introduce a selection of songs themed around rain and heartbreak.
See if you can find one that resonates with you.
- [Rain Songs] Songs to listen to on a rainy day. A special feature on rain-themed tracks.
- [Tearjerker Guaranteed!] A Heartbreak Song Told from a Male Perspective
- A rainy love song. A love song perfect for a rainy day.
- A Tearful Farewell Song: A Love Song About Parting with Someone You Love
- A breakup song with great lyrics. A beautiful message that lingers in the heart.
- [Female Heartbreak Song] A soul-stirring song dedicated to you, who loved with all your heart.
- Just listening makes my chest tighten... Breakup songs recommended for the Yutori generation
- [Heartbreak Songs] A selection of poignant love songs that pierce the heart of those with unrequited love
- Breakup songs recommended for people in their 80s: a collection of classic tracks that capture heartbreaking feelings
- [Tear-Jerking Breakup Songs] A curated selection of love songs that gently comfort a wounded heart!
- [Today’s Heartbreak Song] A poignant love song that gently wraps your wounded heart
- Breakup songs by female artists recommended for the yutori generation
- Rain Songs: A curated selection of tracks that feature rain in the lyrics — including many nostalgic Japanese hits
A rainy heartbreak song. A collection of poignant love songs set against the backdrop of rain (1–10)
Rain SongGReeeeN
Sung from a woman’s perspective who feels his feelings slipping away from her, GReeeeN’s “Ame Uta” is heartbreakingly poignant.
It was released in 2013 as the coupling track to the single “Icarus,” and it reached No.
8 on the Oricon Singles Chart.
The lyrics—“The rain that once felt like the happiness of us huddled together now feels like my own tears”—are especially heartrending.
The song starts softly, the chorus grows powerful, and the finale soars in high tones.
The Rain and Meback number
Back Number’s “Ame to Boku no Hanashi” captures the raw pain that hits right after a breakup.
It’s a track from their 2019 album MAGIC, which hit No.
1 on both the Billboard Japan and Oricon charts.
Known for their highly relatable love songs, the band crafted this breakup song around the theme of rain.
The heartbreak the protagonist feels is something most of us have experienced at least once.
If you’ve just gone through a breakup, I recommend giving “Ame to Boku no Hanashi” a listen.
rainMoritaka Chisato
In a 2006 “Songs You Want to Listen to on a Rainy Day” ranking conducted by Oricon, the song that proudly took first place was Chisato Moritaka’s “Ame” (Rain).
Released as a single in 1990, it reached No.
2 on the Oricon Singles Chart.
Moritaka’s deliberately understated delivery of the simple melody turns it into a ballad that conveys a sense of poignancy and loneliness.
The song has been covered by many artists, and Moritaka herself released a self-cover version in 2013 to commemorate the 25th anniversary of her debut.
The Last RainYasushi Nakanishi
Yasushi Nakanishi’s “The Last Rain” is a song about a woman he loved, and his inability to face their breakup.
Released in 1992 as his second single, it was used as the theme song for the Nippon TV variety show “Hitachi Ashita P-KAN Kibun!” Although it peaked at only No.
16 on the Oricon charts, it became a long-running hit, selling 900,000 copies over six years.
The depiction of parting in the rain feels like a scene straight out of a drama.
Nakanishi’s emotionally charged vocals are truly stirring.
rain10-FEET
The B-side track to “goes on,” a single released in 2007 by 10-FEET, a three-piece rock band from Kyoto, is “Ame” (Rain).
It was also included on the following year’s album “VANDALIZE,” and it’s a high-energy rock tune brimming with 10-FEET’s signature drive.
The lyrics, where the smell of rain brings back memories of a former lover, are heartbreakingly poignant.
Their music festival held in Kyoto, “Kyoto Daisakusen,” is also known for often getting rainy due to the season, and this is definitely a song you’ll want to listen to on such days!
April Rainaiko
The song that sings about how, no matter how many years pass, you can still recall the pain as if it were just yesterday is Aiko’s “April no Ame” (“April Rain”).
Released in 2013 to commemorate the 15th anniversary of her debut, the single reached No.
2 on the Oricon Singles Chart.
It was also used in a contact lens commercial.
The song portrays a couple at a crossroads in April, a season of meetings and partings, who walk separate paths yet spend the same time together.
It’s also said that “April Rain” is a love song from Aiko to her fans.
rainKōda Kumi
Rain, a ballad with a memorable acoustic guitar intro, is a track from Kumi Koda’s 2004 album feel my mind.
The slightly exotic sound really feels like her style, doesn’t it? According to Koda, the song depicts the growing distance between her and her boyfriend at the time.
It poignantly recounts rain-related memories from when they were still close.
There’s also an unplugged version included on her 2006 single No Regret, so be sure to give it a listen!