[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
- [Unrequited Love] Heart-wrenching Love Songs | A Roundup of Tear-Inducing Crush and Breakup Tracks
- A classic song about a forbidden love
- 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 (11–20)
Love SongGO!GO!7188
GO!GO!7188, a three-piece rock band that fused alternative rock with kayōkyoku to create an original sound popular among younger generations, sadly disbanded in 2012.
Their third single, “Koi no Uta,” which they wrote during their amateur days yet went on to become a long-running hit, is catchy for its simple three-piece ensemble and its wistful melody.
Its message—wanting to stay by someone’s side even if your feelings don’t reach them—surely speaks for those struggling with that delicate sense of distance from someone they love.
It’s a lyrical rock tune that has become a karaoke standard.
366 daysHY
This is a ballad that delicately portrays the bittersweet feeling of a love once deeply cherished that never fades from the heart, even as time passes.
The protagonist, unable to stop thinking about the person they parted with all day long, is gently and vividly depicted through Izumi Nakasone’s powerful yet tender vocals.
Included on the 2008 album “HeartY,” it was also used as the theme song for the film “Thread of Red (Akai Ito).” There’s also a well-known anecdote that the songwriter temporarily broke up with their partner at the time in order to write the lyrics.
It’s a song that quietly sits beside those whose heartbreak hasn’t healed, or on nights when you find yourself reminiscing about a past love.
When Someone’s Wish Comes TrueUtada Hikaru
“When a lover goes off to be with someone new”—that poignant situation is depicted in Someone’s Wish Will Come True.
This song was written by Hikaru Utada specifically for the film CASSHERN.
In it, the question is raised: what exactly does “happiness with a lover” mean? Give it a listen and consider it for yourself.
I should also add that the quiet, piano-centered melody beautifully highlights her vocals.
premonitionMy Hair is Bad
This song, which depicts an unbreakable love for a woman who already has a partner, is one of the tracks on the digital single “love,” released in December 2020.
Precisely because it was born during a time when the world was shrouded in anxiety, the personal and intensely written lyrics by Shiiki sink deep into the heart.
Progressing like a story, the piece leaves a profound afterglow, as if you’ve just watched a short film.
The emotionally charged band performance unfolding at a mid-tempo is also superb—the quiet intro building to a chorus where feelings overflow is a must-hear.
It’s perfect not only for those nursing the pain of an impossible love, but also for nights when you want to quietly immerse yourself in a world of storytelling on your own.
around two o’clockaiko
Singer-songwriter aiko has created numerous masterpieces themed around heartbreak.
Among them, a B-side track from her second single, “Around Two O’Clock,” continues to enjoy unwavering support from fans.
The song depicts a woman calling her unrequited love at two in the morning.
That alone is heartrending, but if you listen closely, you realize it also conveys the sorrow of her noticing that the man is with a woman she doesn’t know.
The emptiness is almost overwhelming, and it’s enough to bring tears to your eyes.
balladKetsumeishi
Ketsumeishi is a four-member music group whose name was chosen with the meaning of “pouring out everything.” Their 24th single, Ballad, released as a double A-side with A Future I Create with You, was used as the theme song for the information program Sukkiri!!.
Stories of forbidden love are often told from a woman’s perspective, but this song suggests that the same feelings come through just as strongly from a man’s point of view.
True to its title, it’s a heartrending ballad that reins in their trademark rap, a love song that tightens your chest just by listening.
[Empathy & Tearjerker] Love Songs About Unrequited Love (21–30)
the absolute worstMarushii
What words would you cry out when you realize that the heart of the lover you were laughing with until yesterday is no longer turned toward you? Released digitally in March 2022, this song by Marcy captures the complicated mix of anger and lingering attachment toward a fickle partner, set against a fast-paced rock sound.
It was also included on their first album, “Memory,” released in June 2022, and the music video featuring Naenano drew attention.
While venting the frustration of betrayal, the protagonist suffers from being unable to completely hate the other person—perfectly voicing the feelings of someone fresh off a heartbreak.
It’s a song that can support your heart when you’ve gone through a breakup so painful that just remembering it makes your chest tighten.