A song of forbidden love. A heartrending, sorrowful love song.
A forbidden love you can’t tell anyone about.
If you’re reading this article, perhaps you’re experiencing a similar kind of love.
If so, there are probably many painful moments.
I’ve gathered some songs I want you to hear.
They capture the pain of falling for someone who already has a lover or partner and feeling lost, or knowing it won’t come true yet being unable to give up.
When things are tough, try finding one song that stays close to your feelings.
Like when someone listens to you, it might make your heart feel just a little lighter.
- [An Adulterous Love] A love song about a secret affair you can't tell anyone about
- [Adultery Song] A forbidden song about an affair that sings of an impossible love
- A classic song about a forbidden love
- A song of forbidden love. A love song about feelings that can't be stopped.
- [Unattainable Love] A love song about two people who feel the same way but can’t be together
- [Cheating Song] A forbidden love that crossed the line — infidelity song
- "A Love Song I Can't Tell Anyone" — a love song you can relate to when times are tough
- [Empathetic & Tear-Jerking] A love song about an unrequited romance
- A tear-jerking love song. A love song that stays close to a hurting heart.
- “I Want to See You”: A love song that makes you cry when you listen to it while you can’t meet
- [Unrequited Love] Heart-wrenching Love Songs | A Roundup of Tear-Inducing Crush and Breakup Tracks
- Masterpieces of bittersweet unrequited love songs. Recommended popular tracks.
- [2026] Japanese love ballads of tragic romance: classic masterpieces of sad love songs
Songs of forbidden love. Heartrending, sorrowful love songs (61–70)
DesireDo As Infinity
For those agonizing over a forbidden love, I want you to listen to Do As Infinity’s “Desire.” Love isn’t something you do alone, right? When you fall in love, there’s always someone else involved, and if you’re in a relationship, it’s two people sharing their feelings.
The same goes for an affair.
Even when you know it’s wrong, you keep going.
That’s not just one person’s problem—it exists because there’s someone on the other side accepting that relationship.
This song captures the unstoppable, forbidden “desire” of two people.
I just had a love sadder than anyone else's.Flower
A song about ending an impossible love by your own choice: Flower’s “I Just Had a Sadder Love Than Anyone Else.” It’s a supportive song for people who are thinking of ending a painful relationship.
She loves him desperately, but the woman in the song lets go so that the man can choose his other love.
She lines up excuses and soothes the man who is crying and clinging to her, but isn’t it true that she wants to cry, too? She must have been waiting for the moment she’d be loved the most… It’s heartbreaking.
366 daysHY
A bittersweet love song that sings of unforgettable feelings for a former lover.
“If only I’d told you how I felt from the start, maybe I wouldn’t be hurting so much…” Even if you regret it, it’s already too late.
The more you try to forget, the more you can’t stop thinking about that person.
Perhaps such secret feelings you can’t tell anyone are best left to time.
But this song isn’t just about single-minded unrequited love.
In fact, it’s also said to be a song about a forbidden love for someone who already has a family.
What kind of love story does it bring to your mind? Featured on HY’s April 2008 album HeartY and used as the theme song for the film Threads of Destiny, this piece is a must-hear ballad for anyone struggling with love.
DistanceJUJU
JUJU’s “Distance” portrays the raw emotions of a woman caught in a forbidden love.
She doesn’t need “I love you” or “thank you”—she wants a certain future for the two of them.
If the future can’t be seen, she wishes at least to have him by her side for now.
She wants to be loved, yet being loved too much hurts—perhaps because she’s suppressing the sorrow of a man who says “I love you” but won’t choose her.
Listening to it is achingly sad, as it captures the delicacy of a woman trying desperately not to lose the love she’s been given.
Someday, the two of usMr.Children
A bittersweet love ballad sung by Mr.Children, “Itsu no hi ni ka Futari de.” It’s an unrequited love song about a younger man who falls for an older woman.
It’s unclear whether she’s simply not interested or already married, but because they can never be more than friends, the man soothes his heart by dreaming of the day they’ll be together.
His thoughts are consumed by her, his longing to see her keeps growing… The lyrics are achingly poignant, resonating with any man experiencing a love that won’t come true.
It’s a song you should listen to on those days when you just can’t see the one you love.
Karada no KankeiYUTORI-SEDAI
A song that delicately portrays the ache of unrequited love.
Released by YUTORI-SEDAI in August 2022, this track vividly captures the raw emotions of a woman suffering from a love that will never be fulfilled.
The protagonist, unaware that the other person already has a partner, deepens the relationship.
Even as she pleads, “Don’t leave me,” she is tormented by the guilt of stealing someone else’s love—a portrayal that is truly heart-wrenching.
Midway through the song, her earnest efforts to improve herself for the other person are depicted, resonating deeply with listeners.
It’s a recommended track for those seeking to soothe the pain of heartbreak or to find empathy in the struggle of one-sided love.
Happinessback number
Rather than evoking an affair, this song centers on the theme of an “unattainable love.” It poignantly expresses feelings that make you wonder whose “happiness” the title refers to.
It feels like witnessing the person you love loving someone else, and it tightens your chest.