"A Love Song I Can't Tell Anyone" — a love song you can relate to when times are tough

CountdownCocco

Cocco “Countdown” Music Video

This is Cocco’s shocking debut work, depicting the end of a forbidden love driven by sheer passion.

The provocative, self-destructive words that corner the other person may be a reflection of frustration and despair at a relationship with no way out.

Released in March 1997, the song is also included on the album Bougainvillea.

Because you love someone so much, you feel a twisted impulse to destroy the relationship with your own hands—knowing it’s selfish, yet unable to stop.

Perhaps such overwhelming passion comes from being consumed by a love that should never be.

nightSakamoto Maaya

MAAYA SAKAMOTO – Night (yoru)

This is a song by Maaya Sakamoto that evokes the protagonist’s aching emotions in a room after their lover has gone home.

Even as they desperately try to grasp the lingering fragrance of those happy moments, the memories slip through their fingers and vanish.

That elusive, fleeting quality seems to symbolize the poignancy of a forbidden love, making a deep impression.

The track is included on the acclaimed 2003 December release “Shōnen Alice.” Created during a period when Maaya Sakamoto was honing her expressive power as a stage actor, her vocals here exquisitely portray delicate emotions.

If you’re troubled by a relationship you can’t tell anyone about and find yourself savoring the loneliness of a solitary night, you’ll surely resonate with the protagonist’s solitary heart.

passing by each otherSoala

Soala – Passing Each Other [Official Music Video]

A heartrending love song by Soala that delicately portrays the clumsy emotions of falling in love.

It beautifully captures the fragile moment of parting born from the inability to be honest with the one you love.

Many will relate to the protagonist, who regrets their actions even as they recognize their excessive possessiveness and self-centered behavior.

Released in July 2023, the song drew attention with its airy vocals and comfortable R&B vibe, racking up 20 million streams in just six months.

The warm voice that seems to wrap around a troubled heart and the down-to-earth lyrics truly resonate.

It’s a recommended track for anyone who has ever caused distance by caring too much, or who is struggling with their relationship with a beloved partner.

Love songnatori

natori – Love-song

This is an emotional song by Natori that delicately portrays the heartache and pain of drowning in misguided love.

The protagonist’s feelings, tossed about by love, are depicted as blurring the line between dreams and reality.

Included on the album “Gekijō” (Theater), the track’s music video reached 3.16 million views in February 2024.

For those who carry an unending pain of love deep within, it will likely feel like a song that speaks your heart for you.

In the quiet, why not lend your ear to this piece?

worst; minimum; the lowest; awfulren

Ren – The Worst (Music Video)

Carried by a piano melody where poignancy and fragility melt together, Ren’s translucent voice resonates throughout.

Portraying the anguish and heartache of a protagonist who can’t forget their feelings even while their lover keeps secrets, this work lays bare the inability to say anything to someone who’s crying, as well as the anxieties and frustrations lodged in both hearts.

Released in October 2022, it sparked major buzz, with a short video set against Tokyo’s night skyline—posted on social media—surpassing one million views.

With lyrics and a melody that speak to Gen Z, this song gently embraces listeners struggling with impossible love, such as affairs or unrequited feelings.

earring on the right earKoresawa

Koresawa “Right Ear Piercing” [Music Video]

A heartrending love song about an affair that portrays a piercing, hidden longing beneath the small joys of everyday life.

Included on the March 2021 album “Pure Love Closet,” it became a talked-about track as the CM tie-in song for the audio streaming app stand.fm—one of Koresawa’s finest.

Its light pop sound is marked by a melody that somehow carries a touch of sadness.

Carefully tracing the delicate emotions of a woman who cannot leave, even while knowing where love is headed, this song reaches out to everyone struggling with complicated relationships.

So she’s not your girlfriend, huh?Ueno Yūka

Yuhka Ueno “I’m Not Your Girlfriend, Right?” Music Video

A poignant breakup ballad by Yuuka Ueno that portrays the final moments of a couple who have decided to part and arranged to meet one last time.

Crafted by Yohei Hashiguchi of wacci, this song is included on the mini-album “Konya Atashi ga Naite mo,” released in March 2020.

With great care, it traces the feelings of a woman who holds dear memories close to her heart as she tries to accept reality, conveying both the loneliness of no longer being able to be with the one she loved and her resolve to face forward even while lingering attachments remain.

Ueno’s gentle vocals and the warm melody quietly encourage those who, while confronting the pain of farewell, are ready to take a new step forward.