[Empathetic & Tear-Jerking] A love song about an unrequited romance
Even when you know it’s a hopeless love and your feelings won’t be returned, you still can’t stop your heart—it’s just impossible, isn’t it?
Your head says it might be no good, but your heart won’t follow so easily, and your feelings only grow stronger.
For you who feel this way, here are love songs that sing of the aching emotions of unrequited love—songs I want you to hear.
Some are from a woman’s perspective, some from a man’s, but whichever you listen to, your chest will surely tighten, and you may find yourself relating as if the song were about you.
Soothe the feelings you can’t tell anyone by listening to tracks from those in the same situation.
- [Unattainable Love] A love song about two people who feel the same way but can’t be together
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- Unattainable Love: A Heartbreaking Love Song About Falling for a Married Person
- "A Love Song I Can't Tell Anyone" — a love song you can relate to when times are tough
- [Adultery Song] A forbidden song about an affair that sings of an impossible love
- An empathy song to listen to when you’re hurting and feel like a 'convenient woman'
- Bittersweet love songs to listen to when the person you like already has a girlfriend or boyfriend
- “I Want to See You”: A love song that makes you cry when you listen to it while you can’t meet
- Unrequited love songs that strike a man's heart. Love songs from a male perspective that really hit home.
- A song of forbidden love. A love song about feelings that can't be stopped.
- [For when you want to cry] A ballad love song. A heartbreaking love song.
- Songs About Age-Gap Love: A Curated Selection of Exquisite Love Songs
[Empathy & Tearjerker] Love Songs About Unrequited Love (1–10)
GarnetOku Hanako
Singer-songwriter Hanako Oku is known for her energetic street performance activities and for having been exposed to various instruments since childhood.
Her 4th single “Garnet,” chosen as the theme song for the animated film The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, leaves a lasting impression with its clear, translucent vocals carried by a piano-centered ensemble.
The lyrics evoke the image of an immature romance from one’s youth, and many listeners may find themselves relating by recalling their own student days.
It’s a number whose clarity and wistful melancholy will move your heart—one to listen to while remembering a love that went unfulfilled.
Give me a gentle kiss.DREAMS COME TRUE
DREAMS COME TRUE is a duo whose music, which channels influences from funk and soul into J-pop, has earned support from a wide range of listeners.
Their 31st single, “Yasashii Kiss o Shite,” written as the theme song for the TV drama Sand Chronicle, is a staple in karaoke with a distinctly kayōkyoku flavor.
Its lyrics portray the feelings of someone who remains single-mindedly devoted despite a forbidden love—tugging at the heartstrings even of those who haven’t had such an experience.
The unsettling chord progression in the outro evokes a future with no way forward, making it a sentimental ballad.
You&MeMiura Daichi
Daichi Miura, a singer-songwriter often dubbed the “Japanese Michael Jackson” for his overwhelming dance performances, continues to deliberately pursue originality.
“You & Me,” included on his second album Who’s The Man, is a track marked by its striking piano-and-strings intro.
The story portrays a fragile relationship that would likely shatter if the feelings were spoken aloud—something anyone who’s fallen for someone they shouldn’t can relate to.
It’s a sentimental love ballad whose emotional ensemble stirs the heart.
[Empathy & Tearjerker] Love Songs About Unrequited Love (11–20)
Supporting Actress Syndromeback number
It’s a song that vividly portrays a hopeless love—one where the narrator, fully aware they’ll never be “the one,” continues a relationship in which they’re called on only when convenient.
Released as the B-side to back number’s 2012 single Aoi Haru and later included on the album blues, it depicts a protagonist who sarcastically acknowledges settling for an ambiguous relationship yet can’t stop the feelings that grow with every time they sleep together.
The fear that putting it into words would break everything keeps them swallowing the decisive confession, a detail that feels painfully real.
The groovy sound—highlighted by what Iyori Shimizu has called the standout bass line before the second chorus—is another draw, and the song became so beloved by fans that it even spawned a sequel, Supporting Actress Syndrome 2.
I just wanted to be loved.shizuku
A piano ballad by shizuku that I want those who feel misunderstood in their loneliness or simply long to be loved to hear.
This song seems to portray a pure cry from the heart—a wish to be acknowledged with a “You did your best,” when you can’t find value in yourself.
The delicate piano melodies and the calm yet resilient voice of the musical voicebank KAFU gently speak the feelings that are hard to put into words.
Released in June 2024 and included on the mini-album “Honne,” the track reached 500,000 views on YouTube by September 2025.
Listen to it on nights when you’re tempted to blame yourself or when you need warm words, and the tension in your heart will gently loosen.
It’s a song that wraps your pain in a gentle embrace.
maybeYOASOBI
Released in 2020, this song portrays the raw emotions of a couple facing a breakup.
It captures the cool composure of saying goodbye without tears, alongside the lingering attachment buried deep inside.
The protagonist’s attempt to tell themselves “it can’t be helped” without finding anyone to blame resonates with aching poignancy.
Set to a mid-tempo melody, the lyrics trace the complex feelings of trying to accept the separation while still wishing they could go back to the past.
Included on the album THE BOOK, it reached No.
15 on the Billboard Japan Hot 100.
It’s a song that gently accompanies those struggling in a relationship or those who have experienced parting with someone dear.
WHYKato Miria
Singer-songwriter Miliyah Kato passed a Sony Music audition at 13 and made her major debut at 16.
Her 16th single, “WHY,” released with the catchphrase “Why am I not the one?”, was chosen as the theme song for the au LISMO drama Konyamae Tokkyu – Jinsei Yappa 21 Kara.
The story portrays the complexity of a love that defies logic, where feelings won’t fade even when you know the relationship would disappear if you cut it off yourself.
It’s an emotional love song that shakes the heart with the fusion of a soulful voice and band sound.