Back Number Love Songs: Popular Songs Ranking [2026]

HAPPY BIRTHDAYback number8rank/position

back number - “HAPPY BIRTHDAY” Music Video (Theme song for the TBS Tuesday drama “A Story to Read When You First Fall in Love”)

An emotionally moving medium-tempo ballad that portrays the complex feelings of unrequited love—from the faint expectations on the eve of a birthday to the ache of emotions that never reach their destination.

In contrast to the happiness of a birthday, the loneliness and the sorrow of being unable to express one’s feelings straightforwardly resonate with a delicate melodic line.

Released in February 2019, the song was featured as the theme for the TBS drama “A Story to Read When You First Fall in Love,” and was also included on the album “MAGIC.” With vocals that gently embrace the bittersweet emotions of love that everyone has experienced, it’s a song well-suited for karaoke, where it can be performed in a calm, composed manner.

loveback number9rank/position

back number – Love (Short ver.)

Back number is a three-piece band that captures the hearts of many listeners with poignant lyrics and melodies.

Here is a classic song representing their early work, released in March 2012.

This piece is a sentimental number depicting a gaze fixed on you from a school building window and an earnest wish to confess one’s feelings before graduation.

In addition to being used as an ending theme on shows like TV Asahi’s “Music-ru TV,” it was included on the album “blues” and the best-of album “Encore,” and has continued to be loved over the years, surpassing 100 million total streams.

The band sound, enriched with strings, tightens the chest and evokes the bittersweetness of youth that everyone has experienced.

It’s a song you’ll want to hear in March—especially if you’re facing graduation with unspoken feelings or want to immerse yourself in memories of a fleeting love.

Ms. Hanako on a high pedestalback number10rank/position

back number – Takane no Hanako-san (full)

With their realistic psychological portrayals, back number captures the hearts of many fans.

Their eighth single, released in June 2013, truly feels like “a song packed full of one-sided-love imaginings.” You can’t help but nod along at the poignant sense of distance—being nothing more than “a friend of a friend” to the person you like—and at the way you get depressed by imagining the kind of partner they’d want and deciding you don’t measure up.

In contrast to those lyrics, the brisk, refreshing sound gently propels that frustrating, unrequited longing forward.

The track is also included on the album “Love Story,” and it was used in a commercial in 2019.

Wishing to be loved yet unable to take that final step—this is a one-sided love song that will surely resonate and stay close to your heart.

Heroineback number11rank/position

back number – Heroine (full)

If you want to express your gratitude to your partner, back number’s “Heroine” is a great choice.

Released in 2015 as their 11th single, it reached No.

6 on the Oricon Singles Chart.

It was also featured in commercials for JR East’s “JR SKISKI” and Kirin’s “Green Label.” This relaxed-tempo ballad has romantic lyrics about how everything is better when you’re together.

Why not send “Heroine” on your anniversary to say thanks for all the everyday things?

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blinkback number12rank/position

back number – Mabataki (full)

An inspiring song by back number that deeply contemplates the essence of happiness.

Released in December 2017 as the theme song for the film “The 8-Year Engagement,” it became a major hit, reaching No.

5 on the Oricon Weekly Singles Chart.

The lyrics, which sing that true happiness lies in holding an umbrella for someone precious to you, gently warm the heart.

For lovers separated by distance or those who can’t meet easily, it may especially stir a strong desire to “protect the other person” and “be by their side,” don’t you think?

Until the day I can no longer rememberback number13rank/position

back number – Until the Day It Becomes Unrememberable (full)

A poignant ballad by back number that quietly sings of lingering feelings and a sense of loss for a former lover.

Released in October 2011 as their third single, the song is also included on the album “Superstar,” which came out the same month.

The lyrics portray the emptiness of days that keep going even after losing the most important person in the world, and the deep bond in which the two formed halves of each other.

Fear of memories of the other fading intertwines with the resignation that they will eventually be forgotten, and the realization that the time spent with the person was part of oneself wells up with aching tenderness.

A song that offers comfort to anyone who has lost someone dear.

cotton candyback number14rank/position

back number – Watagashi (full)

Set against the backdrop of a summer festival, this bittersweet love song portrays the feelings of a man who can’t bring himself to confess his love.

Released in 2012 as the sixth single, it was also included on the third album “blues” and the best-of collection “Encore.” Chosen as the opening theme for TBS’s COUNT DOWN TV in July 2012, it reached many listeners.

Wanting to hold hands but hesitating, wanting to say “I like you” but unable to put it into words—the song is filled with that poignant frustration, evoking the faint, youthful crushes many experienced in their school days.

Amid the lively bustle of the festival, quiet emotions surface; this is a track that resonates with the sweet, fleeting moments of love.