A classic song about a forbidden love
Adultery dramas we often see in dramas, movies, and TV talk shows—the love that can never come true.
We’ve gathered songs about these “forbidden loves.” There are many beautifully portrayed dramas that make your heart race, but what if you yourself were to fall into a love that isn’t allowed…? Here, we’ll introduce plenty of songs that capture the bittersweet feelings of such forbidden love.
From songs told from a woman’s perspective to those from a man’s point of view, there are more tracks about forbidden love than you might think.
Perhaps that’s because many people are secretly suffering over a love that shouldn’t be….
- [Adultery Song] A forbidden song about an affair that sings of an impossible love
- [Cheating Song] A forbidden love that crossed the line — infidelity song
- A song of forbidden love. A love song about feelings that can't be stopped.
- [Unattainable Love] A love song about two people who feel the same way but can’t be together
- Unattainable Love: A Heartbreaking Love Song About Falling for a Married Person
- [Empathetic & Tear-Jerking] A love song about an unrequited romance
- [An Adulterous Love] A love song about a secret affair you can't tell anyone about
- A song of forbidden love. A heartrending, sorrowful love song.
- [Unrequited Love] Heart-wrenching Love Songs | A Roundup of Tear-Inducing Crush and Breakup Tracks
- Favorite Songs for Women in Their 50s: A Curated Selection of Sweet and Bittersweet Love Ballads!
- [Jealousy & Possessiveness Songs] A curated selection of popular tracks to listen to when possessiveness feels overwhelming!
- A roundup of love songs themed around homosexuality and LGBTQ+
- “I Want to See You”: A love song that makes you cry when you listen to it while you can’t meet
Masterpieces about forbidden love (1–10)
When Someone’s Wish Comes TrueUtada Hikaru
This is a song where you can feel the exact moment when singer-songwriter Hikaru Utada became an adult.
The lyrics can be interpreted as her looking back on her own divorce, wondering whether even falling in love wasn’t allowed.
It’s also beautiful if you set Hikaru Utada aside and see it simply as a song that purely reflects on an old love.
A new frontier for Hikaru Utada, who has come full circle with her messages and distinctive groove.
It’s a breakup song, yet somehow it brings a sense of calm.
PretenderOfisharu Higedan Dism
Official Hige Dandism’s hit song “Pretender.” Released in 2019, it was chosen as the theme song for the film The Confidence Man JP: The Movie.
It’s a popular song about unrequited love and heartbreak, depicting the feelings of ending a romance from a male perspective.
He thinks he’s not the right person for her and tries to step back, but those feelings don’t fade so easily.
To some listeners, the song can even sound like it’s about an affair.
If you’re going through a painful love, give it a listen.
Happinessback number
There’s a saying, “The one who falls in love loses.” The one who falls in love is the one who always bends, steps back, endures… ends up forgiving everything—even forgiving it when the person they love falls for someone else.
Does that mean such a person isn’t allowed to love at all? That can’t be true.
It might be a common tale of romance, but every line of this song’s lyrics is packed with the aching tenderness of love.
Beware: if you’re heartbroken, you might not be able to stop the tears when you listen.
Masterpieces about forbidden love (11–20)
MissingKubota Toshinobu
A legendary ballad in the history of Japanese pop, covered by numerous famous musicians.
It’s a song by singer-songwriter Toshinobu Kubota, known for hits like “LA LA LA LOVE SONG,” and it’s included on his debut album “SHAKE IT PARADISE,” released in 1986.
The lyrics—wishing they had met a little earlier—evoke the scene of a love that cannot be.
When you fall for someone… sometimes you just can’t stop it, can you?
Ti AmoEXILE
Without looking to the future, I just want to love you now…
It’s a heart-wrenching love song that sings of a woman’s bittersweet feelings.
It’s a track by the popular dance-vocal group EXILE, included on their 28th single, “The Birthday 〜Ti Amo〜,” released in 2008.
It won awards such as the Japan Record Award and was used in commercials, so many people have probably heard it.
You can feel the sorrowful mood from the very intro.
The heart of a woman who sees loving as a sin…
The more you think about it, the sadder it becomes.
C.O.S.M.O.S. ~Cosmos (Autumn Cherry Blossoms)~Sandaime Jē Sōru Burazāzu fromu Eguzairu Toraibu
A cool song that likens cosmos flowers, which bloom only briefly in autumn, to a forbidden love.
Sandaime J SOUL BROTHERS from EXILE TRIBE—commonly known as Sandaime—usually deliver upbeat dance numbers, but this track reveals a different side of them.
The lyrics about two people who were never meant to meet yet do are beautiful in a way that doesn’t sink into mere sadness.
Give me a gentle kiss.DREAMS COME TRUE
“A Gentle Kiss” was written as the theme song for the drama Sand Castle and included on the album DIAMOND15.
This love song portrays a woman’s heartrending romance, expressing her feelings for a man with whom she can never be united.
He may already have a girlfriend or a wife.
Aware of this, the woman still believes that he is her destiny.
The phrase used in the title suggests a feeling of not wishing for anything more—just wanting to stay by his side as things are.