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
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- [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 (41–50)
Inn of the Night Cherry BlossomsTsubuki Miyu
Enka singer Miyu Tsubuki—known for her “resonant, straight-down-the-middle voice”—released her single “Yozakura no Yado” in September 2025.
Set in a hot spring town, this classic enka number portrays the heartache of a forbidden love.
Through a round window, the protagonist gazes at fleeting dreams; their helpless longing seeps into your heart alongside Tsubuki’s richly expressive vocals.
This bittersweet yet beautiful tale of adult romance is perfect for a quiet night of solitary reflection.
Be sure to give it a listen.
Love songnatori
This is an emotional song by Natori that delicately portrays the heartache and pain of drowning in misguided love.
The protagonist’s feelings, tossed about by love, are depicted as blurring the line between dreams and reality.
Included on the album “Gekijō” (Theater), the track’s music video reached 3.16 million views in February 2024.
For those who carry an unending pain of love deep within, it will likely feel like a song that speaks your heart for you.
In the quiet, why not lend your ear to this piece?
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.
AFFAIRSuga Shikao
This is a song by Suga Shikao that portrays the deep anguish of a forbidden love—two people drawn to each other despite knowing it’s not allowed.
Released in October 2000, it was used as the theme song for the drama “The Lover’s Code: Wanting to See You.” There’s an anecdote that the track was refined for over three years before completion.
The torment of guilt alongside feelings so deep there’s no turning back makes your chest tighten, doesn’t it? If you listen to it on a night when you’re troubled by a complicated love with no way out in sight, you may find yourself empathizing deeply with its helplessness.
Stray HeartsInaba Hiroshi
Koshi Inaba, also known as the vocalist of B’z, is a singer-songwriter whose powerful voice captivates many listeners.
His seventh digital-only single, “Stray Hearts,” was written as the theme song for the TV drama “Even If You Don’t Do It.” The lyrics, which portray the feelings of being unable to part despite knowing it’s a forbidden love, tighten the chest with anxiety about an ending that may come someday.
It’s a passionate rock tune distinguished by a rock sound that puts piano and strings at the forefront.
StrangersMatsutōya Yumi
Unknown Strangers is a song written by Yumi Matsutoya as the theme for the drama Mothers in Love.
The drama’s story is told from the perspective of women engaged in extramarital affairs.
Because it was written specifically for the show, the song carries a fitting atmosphere.
While it includes strong declarations about ending a relationship, the lyrics also reveal that she’s still in love deep down.
It’s not exactly a tear-jerking melody, but it evokes a sense of mature romance and quietly resonates in the heart as you listen.
No PromiseChara
A song by Chara that portrays the aching feelings of a woman torn by a relationship without promises.
She longs to hold on to someone who seems about to leave, yet she can’t secure any promise for the future.
That inner conflict is delicately rendered in a whisper-like vocal.
Featured on the album “Soul Kiss,” released in July 1992, the song captures the frustration of being unable to stop loving someone—knowing it won’t be reciprocated, yet unable to let go—which perhaps only those who’ve experienced it can truly understand.
A love in which only one person suffers is something that, at some point, we probably ought to bring to an end.