Classic and popular unrequited love breakup songs
Heartbreak is very sad and painful.
How people cope varies—some talk to others, some take time to rest.
There are surely many who find comfort in listening to music.
Here, I’ve gathered Japanese songs about unrequited love and heartbreak.
Even if unrequited love hurts, don’t give up—move forward to your next love!
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Classic and Popular Unrequited Love Breakup Songs (71–80)
Song of the Eternal NightKami wa saikoro o furanai
‘Yona Uta’ is a song that portrays the aching feeling of shedding tears whenever you recall an unforgettable love.
The melody alone can move you to tears, but the lyrics—expressing the longing to touch the person you love once more—are truly painful and heartrending.
There are many ways to interpret how the lovers part, so it will likely resonate with many people currently experiencing unrequited love.
Although it’s a heartbreak song because it suggests you can no longer meet the one you love, it’s also a track I recommend to anyone who can’t give up on their feelings.
But,Takase Tōya & Ren
A heart-stirring song delicately portraying the pain of parting and lingering feelings, crafted by Toya Takase and Ren.
It carefully expresses deep love for the other person and the inner conflict of being unable to accept the breakup.
Telling yourself “I’ll be okay tomorrow,” yet the lingering scent of perfume in the room brings back memories—capturing emotions that anyone who has experienced heartbreak can relate to.
Featured on the December 2023 album “Ai-Do,” the track blends J-pop with electronic elements, offering a memorable sound that gently encourages you to take a step forward even while carrying the pain of a broken heart.
After a broken heartCHIHIRO
A song about the feelings right after a heartbreak.
Why did I have to be the one to get my heart broken? Even if I can’t accept it, I have to face reality.
But my head is still full of the person I love, and there’s no way I can forget them anytime soon.
It captures the sadness, the pain, and the exhaustion of unrequited love not coming true.
The straightforward, down-to-earth wording invites empathy.
With a 100% tear-jerking, heartrending atmosphere, just listening to it makes your chest feel tight.
Someone who isn’t you ~Tejina~DEEP
A tearful song that compares unrequited love to a magic trick.
There’s no chance this crush will ever come true, yet once it starts, it pulls you in deeper like a trick you can’t look away from.
From a male perspective, the tight-chested imagery and emotive vocals bring tears to your eyes.
Why magic? you might wonder—but when you try doing magic, it’s surprisingly fun and addictive, isn’t it? It’s the same here: without any logic, he finds himself drawn to her.
For those who know it won’t be returned, yet can’t help but fall in love anyway.
SAYONARADREAMS COME TRUE
It’s a song about parting that also conveys the powerful vibe characteristic of DREAMS COME TRUE.
The strongly resonant rhythm and sense of groove are striking, evoking an unbreakable spirit that endures even with lingering regret.
The lyrics, which seem to depict heartbreak at the end of a love triangle, are also memorable, and they convey a strong will to let go—to bow in congratulations to someone who has succeeded while carrying one’s own pain.
It’s a track with a sorrowful strength that stirs the heart to shake off lingering feelings.
Love SongGO!GO!7188
It’s an unrequited love song sung by a girls’ band.
It feels like a very pure kind of affection, maybe from their school days.
The song doesn’t have any big twists or anything, but it still draws you in.
It has a slow, relaxed vibe.
phantom / illusion / vision / fantasyMy Hair is Bad
This song poignantly portrays the pain of heartbreak swaying between dreams and reality.
Awoken in the middle of the night, the protagonist reunites with a phantom lover in a dream, delicately revisiting past memories and the moment of their parting.
The anguish of a heart torn by the gap between the wish to “start over” and an unyielding reality is sure to resonate deeply with listeners.
My Hair is Bad released the track in September 2017 as part of the double A-side single “Unmei / Maboroshi,” and it was also included on the album “mothers,” released in November of the same year.
It’s a song that offers solace to those who, still nursing the wounds of a breakup, can’t yet forget the person they loved.