A classic song about a forbidden love

Article 709 of the Civil CodeMioyamazaki

Mio Yamazaki debut single “Civil Code Article 709” lyric video

An unflinchingly vivid major-label debut themed around the text of the law.

It tells the story of a woman who has become a party to a forbidden love, singing of her complex emotions where brazen defiance and a guilty conscience intertwine.

Released in December 2014, the song was later included on the album “anti-these.” The cover featuring Junichi Ishida also drew attention.

If it doesn’t get found out, we’re happy—but what lies beyond that? It’s a track that makes you think deeply about the harsh reality of such a precarious romance and the fragility of the human heart.

nightSakamoto Maaya

MAAYA SAKAMOTO – Night (yoru)

This is a song by Maaya Sakamoto that evokes the protagonist’s aching emotions in a room after their lover has gone home.

Even as they desperately try to grasp the lingering fragrance of those happy moments, the memories slip through their fingers and vanish.

That elusive, fleeting quality seems to symbolize the poignancy of a forbidden love, making a deep impression.

The track is included on the acclaimed 2003 December release “Shōnen Alice.” Created during a period when Maaya Sakamoto was honing her expressive power as a stage actor, her vocals here exquisitely portray delicate emotions.

If you’re troubled by a relationship you can’t tell anyone about and find yourself savoring the loneliness of a solitary night, you’ll surely resonate with the protagonist’s solitary heart.

Crime and PunishmentShiina Ringo

Shiina Ringo – Crime and Punishment

A song by Sheena Ringo whose heartrending cry—wanting nothing more than to hear her own name—pierces the chest.

The figure who seeks only the certain “now,” even at the cost of abandoning the future, seems to portray the agony of a heart falling into a love it knows is forbidden.

This work was released as a single in January 2000 and was also included on the classic album Shōso Strip.

It apparently wasn’t originally slated to be a single, but there’s an anecdote that its release was decided due to strong demand from fans.

When you listen to it at times when your heart feels like it’s about to break between the pure desire to be with someone and the reality that such desire is a “sin,” you may feel as if the song affirms your pain along with everything else.

You are a cigarette; I am a soap bubble.Lovely Summer Chan

You are a cigarette; I am a soap bubble.

A melancholic guitar-pop song by Lovely Summer Chan that delicately depicts the end of a bittersweet love.

Featured on her major-label debut album “LSC,” released in November 2016, the track expresses the faint feelings for someone out of reach and the fragility of having no choice but to accept it.

Through the contrast between “cigarettes,” a symbol of adulthood, and “soap bubbles,” which vanish in an instant, it strikingly portrays the distance between two people who can never truly meet.

It’s a highly relatable song that offers comfort to those who strive to move forward even while suffering from an unrequited love.

Cinderella BoySaucy Dog

Saucy Dog “Cinderella Boy” Music Video <5th Mini Album “Lazy Sunday” Released on 2021.8.25>

This song is included on Saucy Dog’s mini-album “Lazy Sunday,” which weaves a heart-wrenching love story that tightens the chest.

It portrays a bittersweet, inescapable dependence, even while suffering the agony of being torn apart by the other person’s lies.

Coupled with a melodious rock sound and written from a female perspective, it leaves a lingering aftertaste where sorrow and affection intermingle.

Released in August 2021, it also drew attention for its animation-style music video by Miku Masuda.

In 2022, the band appeared on Music Station.

It’s a recommended track for those struggling with complex feelings toward someone they love or seeking empathy in the subtleties of human relationships.

Only the two of us in this worldano

ano “Just the Two of Us in This World” Music Video

It’s a heartrending love song about a secret romance.

Brimming with the kind of emotional nuance characteristic of ano, it was released in February 2025.

The lyrics and composition were done by ano herself, with arrangement by Regal Lily.

Incorporating elements of alternative rock, it portrays a special world shared by just two people.

While wrestling with the complications of the relationship, it conveys the desire to cherish those moments when true love can be felt.

Highly recommended as a song that stays close to the hearts of those in love.

I could never say I like you.fayray

I could never say I like you.

A ballad delicately portraying the feelings of a woman swaying between urban loneliness and an unrequited love, released in January 2003 as Fayray’s 14th single.

While her feelings deepen for someone who is already engaged, she fears breaking their relationship and can’t bring herself to confess—emotions depicted alongside a beautiful piano melody.

Also chosen as the theme song for the Yomiuri TV/Nippon TV drama “Message: Words Keep Betraying,” this work showcases Fayray’s growth as a singer-songwriter.

It’s a song that offers solace to those suffering from the pain and conflict of love, recommended for anyone struggling with an affair or unrequited feelings.