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.
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- [Heartbreak Songs] A selection of poignant love songs that pierce the heart of those with unrequited love
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- [Today’s Heartbreak Song] A poignant love song that gently wraps your wounded heart
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- Breakup songs that are easy to sing at karaoke. Recommended classics and popular hits.
- [For when you want to cry] A ballad love song. A heartbreaking love song.
Tear-jerking love songs: Love songs that comfort aching hearts (111–120)
It’s not a lie.Mrs. GREEN APPLE

This song delicately portrays the inner turmoil of love.
It is a track by Mrs.
GREEN APPLE included on their album “Attitude,” released in October 2019.
It depicts intense feelings for someone and the frustration of being unable to put those feelings into words, with a beautiful melody and emotionally rich lyrics that resonate deeply.
Through a medium-tempo ballad, the piece masterfully expresses the inability to be honest and the contradictions within oneself.
It’s a song we especially recommend to those who have experienced the complex emotion of “caring so much that you can’t say how you feel.”
Cinderella BoySaucy Dog

This song is included on Saucy Dog’s mini-album “Lazy Sunday,” which weaves a heart-wrenching love story that tightens the chest.
It portrays a bittersweet, inescapable dependence, even while suffering the agony of being torn apart by the other person’s lies.
Coupled with a melodious rock sound and written from a female perspective, it leaves a lingering aftertaste where sorrow and affection intermingle.
Released in August 2021, it also drew attention for its animation-style music video by Miku Masuda.
In 2022, the band appeared on Music Station.
It’s a recommended track for those struggling with complex feelings toward someone they love or seeking empathy in the subtleties of human relationships.
Liar MoonYorushika

It is a ballad marked by the quiet melody of the piano and Suis’s gentle vocals.
Through vivid depictions of scenes in the rain and the symbolic image of drinking down moonlight, it delicately portrays the protagonist’s emotions as they face loss and loneliness.
Produced in June 2020 as the ending song for the Netflix feature-length animated film A Whisker Away, the piece was composed by Yorushika’s n-buna to reflect the film’s worldview while capturing the atmosphere from spring to early summer.
It is a song that will deeply resonate with those who wish to relive a fragile yet beautiful page of youth, as well as those who have experienced parting with someone dear.
Spring, Summer, Autumn, Wintersumika

A song that beautifully portrays the changing of the four seasons, which gained attention as the theme song for the animated film Let Me Eat Your Pancreas.
Released by sumika in August 2018, this slow ballad features a warmly resonant acoustic guitar, and the delicate emotions depicted across spring, summer, autumn, and winter deeply move the listener.
Along with the shifting seasons, memories with a loved one and farewells are depicted, and the hope that leads into the next spring is expressed through gentle vocals and melody.
Its beautiful, heartrending lyrics—echoing the film’s story—are sure to resonate deeply with anyone who has experienced parting from someone dear.
Loyal Dog Boku-kō35.7

It’s a love song that strikes the heart with its bittersweet longing and earnest devotion.
Created by the rock band 35.7, it was released digitally on December 18, 2024.
With down-to-earth lyrics and an emotionally rich vocal performance, it vividly portrays the protagonist who continues to wait for a former lover.
This song, which captures the fragility of love’s end, is likely to resonate especially with younger listeners.
A warm breakup ballad that gently stays by your side.
We’re already broken up, you and I.AYANE

It’s a bittersweet love song that brings back memories of past relationships.
Released in January 2025, it’s included on the EP album “my luv.” AYANE’s clear, airy vocals are striking, and before you know it, you find yourself overlaying your own life onto the world of the lyrics.
The smooth, mellow R&B sound really seeps in, too.
It’s perfect for listening alone on nights when you can’t help but think of an ex.
By the time it ends, you might be able to look forward a little.
catDISH//

This is a moving song that overlays the end of a bittersweet love with the ephemeral freedom of a cat.
Written and composed by singer-songwriter Aimyon, it beautifully harmonizes with DISH//’s musical style to create a true masterpiece.
Released in August 2017 as the B-side to the single “We Did It,” it was later featured in 2020 as an insert song in the drama “Cat.” That same year, it received the Excellence Award at the 62nd Japan Record Awards and was included on the album “X.” Embracing listeners who have experienced parting with someone dear, this heartwarming track gently holds universal feelings of loss and lingering attachment, while nurturing the strength to keep looking forward.


