[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.
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- [Songs of Infidelity] A collection of forbidden love songs about unattainable romance
- 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.
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- [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 (31–40)
AitaiKato Miria
It’s a heartrending love song about longing for someone who’s looking at somebody else.
Included on the acclaimed 2009 album “Ring,” this fan favorite became a hit with over 700,000 downloads despite not being released as a single.
It also adds deep resonance to the film “Villain” as an in-film track.
Even if I’m not your number one, even if I know I’ll get hurt, it has to be you… That desperate cry from the heart tightens the listener’s chest.
When you fall for someone, reason can’t do a thing about it.
If you’re suffering from an unrequited love, this is a song that will surely stay close to your heart.
just a littleIgarashi Haru
A song whose heartrending, soul-stirring vocals move every listener.
With delicate wording, it weaves a poignant love swayed by the whims of fate—encounters that come at the wrong time.
Haru Igarashi is a singer-songwriter with the unusual background of being a former police officer.
Released in March 2024, this work has drawn major attention, topping the Billboard JAPAN Heatseekers Songs chart for two consecutive weeks.
The line about pretending to like what the other person likes just to stay by their side is so earnest it tightens the chest.
to cry innocently; to weep with a childlike airAKASAKI
This song resonates with the heart through its tenderness that tries to embrace a pure soul holding back tears, and the bittersweet ache of feelings that aren’t returned.
AKASAKI’s delicate portrayal of emotion and straightforward expression of love are deeply moving.
Released as a single in January 2025, it became a hot topic after being selected as Kiss FM KOBE’s recommended Japanese track for the month.
The intertwining of the desire to protect someone and the loneliness of unfulfilled devotion evokes empathy as an emotion many have experienced.
It’s a song that gently stays by the side of anyone striving to move forward while carrying feelings for someone dear.
Your happinessUru
A tale of unrequited love that begins with a poetry reading.
Crafted by Uru herself, this work beautifully portrays deep affection for the other person and a resolute acceptance of parting.
Though close in proximity, a distance in hearts is felt—the aching inability to convey one’s feelings.
Because she wishes for the other’s happiness, she suppresses her own emotions; her delicate inner world is delivered through a simple yet striking melody.
Released in November 2023, the song features a piano- and acoustic guitar–centered arrangement that is simple but deeply moving.
It’s a piece that stands beside those who harbor the complex feelings of loving someone while suffering as they wish for that person’s happiness.
CountdownCocco
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.
[Empathy & Tearjerker] Love Songs About Unrequited Love (41–50)
A little more, just a bit moreZARD
A song by ZARD about a love that cannot come true.
Even while knowing it’s a forbidden relationship, the protagonist finds herself wishing to be loved “just a little longer.” The song captures her emotions, and because the love is taboo, her earnest feelings resonate with a striking purity.
There’s an anecdote that Izumi Sakai, who also wrote the lyrics, felt saddened while singing it—an episode that speaks to the song’s poignancy.
Released in September 1993, this work compels deep reflection on the weight of unrequited love and the intensity of loving someone.
codependencyDomura Riu
A work by Riu Domura that candidly portrays the fragility and pain of a mutually dependent relationship.
This song depicts the heartrending figure of someone who, even while understanding it isn’t true love, cannot bear the loneliness and continues a false relationship.
Even knowing they’re just convenient, they can’t break away from the joy of being needed.
You can’t help but empathize with the protagonist’s conflicted feelings.
Released in May 2019 on the EP “Escape,” this piece suggests that, even knowing you’ll end up alone, being unable to stop may be the inescapable reality of a forbidden love.