[Unattainable Love] A love song about two people who feel the same way but can’t be together
Even though they love each other, they can’t be together—an unfulfilled love…
it’s heartbreaking, isn’t it?
Everyone has their own reasons, but there are surely many people struggling with painful love.
In this article, we’ll introduce songs that offer comfort to those experiencing a love that can’t come true, even though both people care for each other.
Listening to songs that mirror your feelings might bring you to tears…
But crying might help you feel refreshed and ready to move forward.
We hope you’ll find a song you can truly relate to.
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[Unrequited Love] A love song where both are in love but cannot be together (31–40)
usmilet
This song, “us,” sung by milet, was the theme song for the drama “Deception of Romance” starring Anne (An).
I’m sure many people first discovered milet through this track.
The song feels like it speaks for a woman who’s endlessly torn by a romance that’s “so close yet just out of reach—though maybe, just maybe, it could come true…?” It portrays an uncertain relationship—one not defined by spoken promises—yet that person means everything to her.
If you’ve ever been in love, those feelings are surely ones you can relate to.
DistanceJUJU
Of course it’s not just the lyrics—JUJU is a singer whose voice carries sadness and poignancy, moving you to tears.
Her song “Distance” is guaranteed to stir your emotions and very likely make you cry.
Released in 2013, it was also used as the ending theme for the anime Space Battleship Yamato 2199.
It’s a love song anyone can relate to—being shaken by someone, being swayed by the words they speak.
Once words are spoken, they weigh heavily on the heart; it reminds us of those simple yet important truths.
When Someone’s Wish Comes TrueUtada Hikaru
Beloved by a wide audience and a singer whose songs have touched countless hearts, Hikaru Utada.
The track “Dareka no Negai ga Kanau Koro” is a single released in 2004 that also served as the theme song for the film CASSHERN.
When it comes to unrequited love, this song is often mentioned; it has captured—and no doubt comforted—the hearts of many as a love song.
Even the title alone tightens the chest, and the lyrics and strings together heighten the sense of wistful melancholy in this piece.
In loveHY
A poignant love song that portrays the pure feeling that even if you are not chosen by the other person, the love itself becomes a precious memory.
Written as the theme song for the film “366 Days,” releasing in January 2025, it is included on the album “TIME.” Positioned as an answer song to the 2008 classic “366 Days,” it gently expresses the resolve to look forward after heartbreak.
While continuing to think of the other person, it delicately depicts the subtle emotions of accepting those feelings as cherished memories.
Many listeners will surely relate to the emotions that waver between pure feelings and reality.
First LoveFukuyama Masaharu
Masaharu Fukuyama, who is active as both an actor and a singer, released the single “Hatsukoi” in 2009, and it was also used in a commercial.
Both the lyrics and melody are steeped in aching melancholy, evoking a mature kind of love.
The song portrays complex feelings toward someone you once loved or dated—now that both people have families or loved ones to protect, it doesn’t cross into an affair, yet the feelings remain.
That’s precisely why the title “First Love” feels so fitting.
[Unrequited Love] Love Songs About Mutual Feelings That Can’t Come True (41–50)
MissingKubota Toshinobu
Toshinobu Kubota’s “Missing” is so heartrending and tear-inducing that it’s almost unimaginable given his soulful singing voice.
Although the song wasn’t released as a single, it’s one of his signature tracks, included on the 1986 album “SHAKE IT PARADISE.” Many people who experienced a breakup around the time of its release surely cried to this song, and even today it remains just as poignant, tightening your chest with its enduring sadness.
I love you, but I can’t love you.AAA
Doesn’t the title alone already make your heart ache? “Aishiteru no ni, Aisenai” (I Love You, but I Can’t Love You), a single released in 2015 by the five-member co-ed vocal group AAA.
Since it was also used in a commercial, many people may recognize it as soon as they hear the chorus.
A love where both people care for each other but can’t be together—if you’ve ever experienced that, you’ll likely relate to this song and find yourself wishing you could start over from the moment you met, rewind time.
It’s a number packed tightly with the desire to convey your feelings, even if they can never come true.