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….
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- [Unattainable Love] A love song about two people who feel the same way but can’t be together
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- [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 (21–30)
Quivering with sweet sighsYoshii Kazuya
A song that weaves forbidden love and a longing that sinks deep, carried by a sound draped in a Showa-era kayō taste.
Kazuya Yoshii’s sultry vocals and unhurried sense of timing further accentuate the anguish of an unattainable love.
The piece was released in October 2025 as the theme song for the NTV drama DEEP: “From There On Is Hell,” a story of love and hate.
You can feel the mature allure of Kazuya Yoshii—also active with THE YELLOW MONKEY—in his solo work here.
It’s a track for those who have stepped into a secret relationship they can tell no one about, burdened by the fear that there’s no turning back.
Even when you know your feelings won’t be rewarded and still can’t let go, this song will gently stay by your side.
I like indigo.indigo la End
This song portrays the frustration of being stuck in an ambiguous relationship, unable to get closer or farther apart.
The nocturnal atmosphere that seems to conjure vivid scenes—crafted by Enon Kawatani—and the supple band ensemble beautifully color the aching feelings of love.
Released digitally in advance in May 2016 and included the following month as the opening track of indigo la End’s album “Aiiro Music,” it expresses not a dramatic confession or ending, but those inexplicable emotions that linger right beside everyday life.
It may resonate with those harboring a secret love they can’t tell anyone about, or those troubled by an unattainable romance.
lingering scentindoor cats.
Though the romance should be over, even when I swear to forget, the memories left behind keep holding me back.
This song captures the aching feeling of a presence that should be gone and the heart-clenching emotions that linger in the room like a scent.
indoor cats., a band rooted in R&B, weave a jazzy sound centered on piano and organ that quietly seeps into unresolved memories and the aftertaste of a forbidden love.
The track appears on their first album, “Hodokenai Blue,” released in March 2024.
It’s sure to gently accompany those who are struggling with a love they just can’t cut off, and those who, late at night, hold feelings they can’t tell anyone.
A Kiss of Affected Splendorshallm
A song you’ll want to listen to on nights when you’re tormented by relationships that can’t be smoothed over with pretty words and emotions you can’t show anyone.
Set to a thrilling arrangement that fuses jazz and rock, it portrays the true feelings behind superficial words and the aching emotions you long to say but can’t.
This track was released in July 2025 by shallm, who had put out the album “charme” in October 2024.
It was written as the opening theme for the Thursday drama “Love Prohibited.” Give it a listen when you’re lost in the fate of an unattainable love and wishing someone would quietly stay by your side.
That’s not fair.Ochiai Wataru
Even knowing it won’t be reciprocated, you’re drawn to those gentle hands and that soft voice, unable to walk away…
This song vividly portrays the emotional turmoil of being trapped in such an ambiguous relationship.
Sung by Wataru Ochiai, a singer-songwriter from Osaka, it’s a track overflowing with heartache.
Released in May 2021, it’s known as one of his signature works, alongside albums like “Nonfiction,” where he has expressed a down-to-earth view of love.
The weakness and jealousy of clinging to someone even while realizing you’re being treated as a convenient option come through raw and real over an acoustic sound.
A ballad for anyone who can’t break free from a painful, forbidden love they want to end but can’t.
secretYU-KI
A number about adult love sung by YUKI, who has been energetically active even after going solo.
There are romances that get more intense precisely because they’re forbidden, aren’t there? Words used as keywords—like burn, red thread, and pinky finger—are filled with a bittersweet feeling.
The song title, “Himitsu” (Secret), refers to a love that mustn’t be known by others.
This bittersweet track sung by the adorable YUKI seems likely to continue winning support.
Other people’s relationshipsHitoto Yo
It was the theme song for Fuji TV’s drama “Hirugao: Lovers at 3 p.m.
on Weekdays.” The series had many shocking scenes and became quite a hot topic.
The original version of “Tanin no Kankei” was by Katsuko Kanai.
When it was first released, the distinctive choreography drew more attention than its seductive lyrics.
Even now, the lyrics—written with an affair as a premise—feel provocative.
If you have time, do check out the original version as well.