[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.
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.
MELROSE ~A Promise Not to Love~ATSUSHI

Songs about unrequited love and aching feelings are often written from a woman’s perspective, so there must be people who want to hear them from a man’s point of view.
This song, “MELROSE ~Aisanai Yakusoku~,” is a single released in 2012 by EXILE’s ATSUSHI that expresses a man’s feelings—unfulfilled wishes and emotions.
Even though their feelings reach each other, they can’t put them into words; it’s filled with that frustrating, helpless emotion.
It will surely resonate with men who are going through a similar kind of love.
My name is Unrequited Loveindigo la End

Formed around Enon Kawatani and making their major-label debut on the same day as Gesu no Kiwami Otome, indigo la End is a four-piece rock band.
Their 20th major-label single, “Namae wa Kataomoi” (“Her Name Is Unrequited Love”), leaves an impression with an ensemble that moves from an atmospheric, hooky intro into a verse featuring a sprightly piano.
The lyrics, which evoke someone keeping a subtle distance while stepping back for the other’s sake, convey the frustration of feelings that can’t be satisfied by love alone.
It’s a brisk yet somehow wistful, sentimental number.
Hello, Again ~A Place That’s Been Around Since Long Ago~My Little Lover

Hello, Again ~A Place That’s Always Been~ is a signature song by My Little Lover, which now functions as vocalist akko’s solo project.
The track was released in 1995, back when the unit was still called “MY LITTLE LOVER,” as a single.
For those who remember its heyday or spent their youth with it, it’s also a popular karaoke staple.
The song portrays a love that never came to fruition—two people who were never bound together—and a romance that has become a past-tense memory.
[Unrequited Love] Love Songs About Mutual Feelings That Can’t Come True (41–50)
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.
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.



