A tear-jerking love song. A love song that stays close to a hurting heart.
Love isn’t always fun, is it?
You might mustered up the courage to confess your feelings only to be rejected, be led on and strung along, or realize from the start it was a love that could never come true… Chances are, you too have experienced a painful love.
In this article, we introduce tear-jerking love songs that sing about that kind of heartbreak.
If you’re hurting right now, why not try finding a song that stays close to your feelings?
Listening to songs about the same situation might help you find clues for facing that love.
Tear-jerking love songs. Love songs that comfort a hurting heart (1–10)
I miss you feat. Shota ShimizuNEW!SPICY CHOCOLATE
SPICY CHOCOLATE is a sound crew that energizes the Japanese reggae scene.
Featuring R&B singer Shota Shimizu, this song is a love ballad that poignantly conveys lingering attachment to a former lover and the bittersweet feelings that suddenly surface in everyday life.
Released digitally in October 2014, it became a hot topic as the opening track of the acclaimed album “Shibuya Jun’ai Monogatari.” It was also selected as the opening theme for Fuji TV’s “Sakigake! Ongaku Banzuke ~EIGHT~.” Many people have experienced knowing you can’t go back, yet being unable to forget, right? It’s a song we hope you’ll listen to on nights when you feel like crying because you can’t contain how much you want to see that person.
DropletNEW!Marushii
Even though I know it’s hopeless, I can’t help being drawn to you… This song, which sings of such a bittersweet love, is one of Marcy’s early signature love songs that garnered widespread empathy mainly on social media.
Released in November 2020, it was later included on the album “Memory.” The band’s sound, evoking the stillness of night, and vocalist Ukyo’s emotive, bleeding-through delivery squeeze the heart unbearably tight.
Portraying the pain of suddenly feeling the other person’s absence, this track gently stays close to anyone carrying unrequited feelings—desperate to see someone yet unable to do so.
Drowning loveNEW!Domura Riu
A track by Riu Domura released digitally in December 2020.
Its chill beat and mellow melody feel soothing, suffused with a sweet, humid mood.
It portrays late-night phone calls with a lover and the lopsided desire to have them all to oneself, conveying not only the joy of romance but also a dependency that feels like sinking deeply into love.
The song spread after Local Campione posted an original choreography on TikTok.
A remix version is included on the fifth album, “Yakei,” released in 2023.
It’s a love song that gently keeps you company as you sit in your room at night, thinking of your partner and feeling lonely.
Prayer FlowerNEW!Hirai Dai
This work is sung as if handing over a heartfelt wish to a beloved person we can no longer meet.
Released in 2011 by singer-songwriter Dai Hirai, it remains enduringly popular.
In the immediate aftermath of the Great East Japan Earthquake, its straightforward word “prayer” resonated deeply with many people.
In 2020, he self-covered the song with a grand string arrangement, showcasing a timeless charm that doesn’t fade with time.
The gentle sound of the ukulele and the warmth of his voice softly soothe the aching feeling of longing to see someone.
Give it a listen on nights when you’re weighed down by missing someone you can’t meet anymore, or when the loneliness of a long-distance relationship feels especially heavy.
yoursNEW!Shimizu Shota
Shota Shimizu is a singer-songwriter who captivates many with a sound that moves seamlessly between R&B and pop.
This track, for which he himself wrote the lyrics and composed the music, is included as the B-side to the single “BYE×BYE,” released in July 2015.
With his warm vocals, he gently wraps and sings about the loneliness of being apart from a lover and the overflowing feelings of longing for them.
It carefully portrays the honest emotions of finding yourself thinking of the one you love again and again in everyday life.
This is a song we especially recommend to those who’ve been too busy to meet their loved one lately.
If you listen on a lonely, sleepless night, it will gently stay close to the earnest feelings deep in your heart.
A Song for YouNEW!Sugawara Sayuri
A song that earnestly sings about the bittersweet feelings of a love that can’t be expressed honestly.
It captures the frustration of not being able to convey your feelings to the person you like, and the pure wish to always be by their side, all carried by a clear, translucent vocal.
Released in April 2009, the month Sayuri Sugawara made her major debut, the track was later included on her album “First Story.” It was also chosen as the opening theme for TV Tokyo’s music program “JAPAN COUNTDOWN” during the same month, gaining widespread popularity.
It’s a love song you’ll want to listen to when you’re thinking of someone precious far away and are overcome with the urge to see them.
How could you say it’s the worst?NEW!the shes gone
This is a heartbreak song that portrays the sharp words hurled at the end of love and the pain the heart can’t fully bear.
The awkwardness of a sudden breakup in everyday life and the contrast with once-happy days echo poignantly over a band sound.
Included on The shes gone’s album “DAYS,” released in January 2019, this track has been cherished by fans since the band’s early days.
You’ll likely deeply relate to the agonizing state of being unable to fully come to dislike the other person.
Precisely because you loved them, you can’t neatly forget, and this song gently stays beside those who carry regret and loneliness.
Try listening to it alone in your room at night, when you want to let the tears flow and sort out your feelings.