[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] Love Songs About Mutual Feelings That Can’t Come True (41–50)
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.
without being noticedaiko
For anyone nursing an unrequited crush, this song, “Kizukarenai You ni,” is sure to stir up a poignant ache.
A champion of women in love, aiko included this track on her 2006 album Kanojo.
Told from a woman’s perspective, it’s a heart-wrenching number about a love that won’t come true and the brave face she puts on.
The way the two avoid looking each other in the eye as they talk—hiding their inner turmoil “so it won’t be noticed”—is a moment that makes you go, “Ah, I know that feeling.” It’s quintessential aiko, packing an overwhelming amount of bittersweet emotion into one song.
OrangeSMAP
It’s no exaggeration to say this is the most famous B-side track by SMAP.
“Orange” is the coupling song to one of SMAP’s signature hits, “Lion Heart,” released in 2000, and it remains extremely popular among fans.
Many people—those currently in a love where their feelings are one yet they’re not allowed to be together, as well as those who are reminded of a past romance and feel their hearts ache—may find themselves moved by this song.
It’s a bittersweet love ballad that resonates across generations.
AccompliceSuneo Heā
The single “Accomplices” by Suneohair, released in 2008.
The title feels loaded with meaning, doesn’t it? But if you take time to interpret the lyrics, the meaning of “accomplices” comes into focus.
It’s a love song that envisions a romantic escape: if this love can’t be fulfilled, then let’s throw everything away and run off together.
If you’re in an impossible love, you probably understand all too well the urge to start over from scratch, to rewind both of your lives, to wipe everything clean.
PENGUINMakihara Noriyuki
Noriyuki Makihara is a singer-songwriter with many fans of all genders, known for his heartrending love songs and relatable lyrics.
The song “PENGUIN” is a standout track with an intriguing title from his 2006 album “UNDERWEAR.” Don’t we all have those “unforgettable conversations,” where we casually remember a chat from long ago with someone we loved or used to like? Trivial exchanges that the other person has probably forgotten, yet for us they remain precious memories.
It’s a song filled with bittersweet emotion—give it a listen and see what the title really means.
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.
You&MeMiura Daichi
Daichi Miura, whose overwhelming dance performances combined with his skill as a singer make him truly one of a kind.
His song “You & Me” is a love ballad that poignantly depicts an unattainable love from a male perspective.
It captures the frustration of a man who can’t bring himself to say the words he wants to—“I love you”—and is tormented by that helplessness.
Anyone struggling with a similar kind of love will surely relate, and it’s a tearjerker.
The push and pull between wishing happiness for the other person and one’s own feelings—the wavering heart of a man—tightens the chest.