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….
- [Songs of Infidelity] A collection of forbidden love songs about unattainable romance
- [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 (11–20)
MELROSE: A Promise Not to LoveEXILE ATSUSHI
It’s included on the album Love Ballade, which was released with the catchphrase “Your love is surely here—14 love stories.” A forbidden love where, despite promising not to love each other, they do—this world feels real and stylishly adult.
It’s the kind of romance you can’t help but admire.
There’s also an acoustic version of this song.
If you have the chance to listen, please do.
Pure Love RhapsodyTakeuchi Mariya
One of Mariya Takeuchi’s signature songs and also famous for its theme of an extramarital affair, “Jun’ai Rhapsody” was used as the theme song for the drama “Stay the Way You Were When We Met.” While many songs about affairs are sad and heartrending, this one has a very bright melody and lyrics.
That’s because it doesn’t dwell on the hopelessness of an impossible love; instead, it celebrates the joy of being able to fall in love.
There may be painful and difficult moments, but listening to this song may remind you that, at its core, love is something that brings happiness and makes your world more beautiful.
Don’t Stop LoveKōda Kumi
It’s a tragic love song about continuing to love you over and over, no matter how far apart we are.
It’s a track by Kumi Koda, the songstress who led the Japanese music scene in the 2000s, released in 2011 as her 51st single.
It drew attention for being chosen as the theme song for the film Second Virgin.
This is an R&B ballad featuring beautiful piano and string melodies.
Koda’s delicate, ephemeral vocals suit the tone of the song perfectly.
With its mellow, intimate vibe, it’s best enjoyed alone, taking your time to listen.
short-sleevedImai Miki
I know I won’t be loved, but I’ll keep loving you forever… It’s a heart-wrenching love song with lyrics like that.
It’s a track by Miki Imai, the singer known for “PIECE OF MY WISH” and “PRIDE,” included on her fifth album, retour, released in 1990.
There’s a scene where she spots someone precious playing with a child in their front yard—so vivid you can see it, and it squeezes your heart.
Songs with such a strong sense of story can be painful to listen to…
From the season that feels like it will freezeAimer
A winter song by Aimer that sings of a poignant heart trapped in an irreversible flow of time amid an icy cold.
Released in February 2017, it was chosen as the opening theme for the TV drama “Love Theft, Winter,” whose love-and-hate twists drew much attention.
An extended version was later included on her best album “BEST SELECTION ‘noir,’” and this work stands as a symbol of the darker side of her discography that carves deeply into the emotions.
Even knowing it won’t be rewarded, one cannot sever the obsession and lingering attachment that continue to burn deep inside.
It’s a quiet companion for those who bear the pain of a secret love they cannot tell anyone about.
In loveHY
A jewel-like ballad that gives you the courage to take one step forward from the depths of sorrow at the end of a secret love you can’t tell anyone about.
HY, a band from Okinawa, wrote it as the theme song for the film “366 Days,” released in January 2025.
The track was released in December 2024 and is also included on the album “TIME,” which came out in January 2025.
Created as an answer song 16 years after the masterpiece “366 Days,” which etched the pain of unrequited love, this work features beautiful male and female harmonies that resonate together, gently affirming that even deeply wounding experiences have meaning.
It’s a song that will likely resonate with those who, while carrying the memories of a love that brought no reward, are trying to face forward and start walking again.
Masterpieces about forbidden love (21–30)
I’ll take it to the grave.Arukosaito
A heartbreaking rock ballad about the end of a secret love that can’t be told to anyone, and the resolve to bury those memories deep within and keep living.
Vivid, lifelike scenes—evoking the air of everyday life and platforms of Kansai train stations—heighten the reality of an unattainable love and tighten the chest.
This song is a signature work by Arcosite, included on the album “Until It Becomes a Memory,” released in March 2022.
It later resonated widely on social media, becoming a major topic in 2023 as its annual streams surged.
Blending quiet sorrow with the unique intensity of a band, this piece will surely stay close on nights when you struggle with an unrequited relationship and want to weep alone in silence.