![[Empathetic & Tear-Jerking] A love song about an unrequited romance](https://i.ytimg.com/vi_webp/IsFs06cw-gY/maxresdefault.webp)
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 (1–10)
HAPPY BIRTHDAYback number
Back number is a three-piece rock band beloved by younger generations for their sentimental, vividly evocative lyrics and a trademark falsetto that heightens the sense of longing.
Their 20th single, “HAPPY BIRTHDAY,” used as the theme song for the TV drama A Story to Read When You First Fall in Love, features a delicate ensemble highlighted by resonant acoustic guitar tones that feels wonderfully soothing.
The unadorned, down-to-earth words carry a persuasive power that many listeners can’t help but take personally.
It’s a love song anyone can relate to, with a superb title that likens the day you realize you’re in unrequited love to a birthday.
PretenderOfisharu Higedan Dism
Official HIGE DANDism is a four-piece piano pop band that draws listeners in with the depth and evolution of their sound every time they release a new song.
Their second single, “Pretender,” written as the theme song for the film The Confidence Man JP: The Romance, is known as the smash hit that cemented the band’s popularity.
Its story portrays the feeling of loving someone yet sensing that something is off even when you’re together—an experience that many who’ve felt the same will relate to.
With its wistful, lyrical melody that feels so pleasant, it’s a new-generation love ballad.
NAOHY
HY is a four-piece mixture band based in their local Okinawa, known for their expansive sound featuring male–female twin vocals.
NAO, included on their fourth album Confidence, is a ballad modeled after the best friend of Izumi Nakasone, who wrote the lyrics.
The story portrays a painful love in which feelings won’t fade even when you know they won’t be reciprocated—something that may leave many listeners feeling anger toward the indecisive man.
It’s a sentimental love song whose powerful vocals and gospel-like grandeur stir the heart.
A Song Dedicated to the Worst YouYuuri
This is a digital release from November 2025 by Yuuri that sings of frustration and self-loathing toward oneself for being unable to escape a sneaky, unfair relationship—even while knowing the other person isn’t serious.
The lyrics pierce the heart as they call the other person “the worst,” yet also reckon with the singer’s own slyness in accepting a convenient role.
Kisses that feel like a gag to hide true feelings, and words that sound like a curse uttered with a sense that the end is near, vividly depict the psychological mind games of a complicated romance.
It’s a song that will resonate with anyone who knows they should walk away but can’t, or who is facing the end while still holding on to lingering attachments.
Snow WhiteFlower
After working as support members for EXILE’s live performances, the dance and vocal group Flower made their debut in 2010.
Their 6th single, Shirayukihime (Snow White), used as the theme song for the NOTTV drama “We’re All Dead♪,” features a dreamlike ensemble that perfectly evokes its title.
A love you can’t stop even though you know from the start it won’t be rewarded is a feeling many people have likely experienced at least once.
It’s a heartbreaking number whose sentimental piano and strings melody pierces the heart.
dearestKOH+
KOH+ is a musical duo formed by Kou Shibasaki and Masaharu Fukuyama for the theme song of the TV drama Galileo.
Their second single, Saiai, written as the theme song for the film The Devotion of Suspect X, draws you in from the outset with a deep, piano- and strings-driven introduction.
The lyrics evoke an image of unwavering love that asks for nothing in return—something that anyone who has experienced unrequited love will surely relate to.
It’s a gem of a love ballad, with a sentimental melody that moves the heart.
Stop this nightJUJU
Singer-songwriter JUJU, who moved to the United States in her teens and gained popularity for her highly original musical style infused with authentic Black music, delivers a captivating track with her 15th single, “Kono Yoru wo Tomete yo,” the theme song for the TV drama Guilty: Akuma to Keiyaku Shita Onna.
JUJU’s vocals are both delicate and soulful, making the song a pleasure to listen to.
Its message—wanting to be seen, just for now, even in a love with no clear future—evokes the feeling of being unable to suppress your emotions despite knowing in your head that it’s not allowed.
For those in a similar situation, this heartbreaking ballad is sure to tighten the chest.