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. Heart-wrenching, sad love songs (41–50)
Fake loveSTUPID GUYS
A melodious love song by STUPID GUYS that portrays the ache of a bittersweet romance.
The complex emotions of a man and woman wavering between a physical relationship and pure affection are expressed through mellow vocals and rap, weaving delicate words to depict a heart drowning in desire while harboring self-denial.
Included on the album “False Love,” released in July 2019, the track has garnered over 4 million views on YouTube.
It’s a song that resonates with those troubled by a love they can’t tell anyone about, or suffering from a love built on pretense.
A song of forbidden love. A heartrending, sorrowful love song (51–60)
I miss you.UVERworld
A heart-stirring ballad that delicately portrays the profound sense of loss and regret after losing a loved one.
Released by UVERworld in September 2008, the song expresses powerful feelings and loneliness toward a former lover, wrapped in a gentle melody.
It is included on the album “AwakEVE,” and its music video set at Shibuya’s scramble crossing is also memorable.
A tender masterpiece that offers comfort to those who have lost someone important or are trying to overcome a breakup.
First LoveHikaru Utada
A romantic ballad by Hikaru Utada that carries tender, bittersweet feelings of love and the pure pain of parting on gentle vocals and a beautiful piano melody.
Released to the world in 1999 as the theme song for the drama “Majo no Jōken” starring Nanako Matsushima and Hideaki Takizawa, the song was included on the album “First Love” and achieved an astonishing sales figure of over eight million copies.
The young Utada’s portrait of a first breakup and the lingering emotions that follow continues to move many hearts as a universal feeling everyone experiences.
Recommended for those who have known fateful meetings and farewells, or who wish to reminisce about their first love.
Only the two of us in this worldano
It’s a heartrending love song about a secret romance.
Brimming with the kind of emotional nuance characteristic of ano, it was released in February 2025.
The lyrics and composition were done by ano herself, with arrangement by Regal Lily.
Incorporating elements of alternative rock, it portrays a special world shared by just two people.
While wrestling with the complications of the relationship, it conveys the desire to cherish those moments when true love can be felt.
Highly recommended as a song that stays close to the hearts of those in love.
That’s not fair...Are-kun
Are-kun’s song, which beautifully portrays aching love and suffering, has deeply moved many listeners.
While harboring intense feelings for the other person, the work delicately weaves the complex emotions of a woman swayed by ambiguous behavior.
Released in August 2021 as an advance track from the album “Breath,” it was also chosen as the ending theme for TV Asahi’s “BREAKOUT” in September, allowing it to resonate with an even wider audience.
Confused and hurt by the other person’s vague kindness, yet unable to suppress her feelings—this piece offers heartfelt empathy and comfort to anyone who bears the pain of an unrequited love.
I quit my dependency.festival
A bittersweet heartbreak story spun by Matsuri, a singer-songwriter from Yamanashi Prefecture.
This coming-of-age ballad delicately portrays a heart swaying between love and dependency with finely crafted words.
It depicts the inner struggle of recognizing the difference between the feeling of “liking” and the fixation of “dependence,” and the resolve to part ways.
Written and composed by Matsuri herself, the track was released as a digital single in October 2020.
The genuine emotions of 17-year-old Matsuri at the time resonate deeply with listeners.
It’s a song that gently nudges those trying to move forward, even while carrying lingering feelings.
IenaiSoala
A bittersweet, aching vocal that tightens the chest, this love song portrays the feelings of a woman who has fallen into a convenience-based relationship.
Her emotions sway between tenderness and regret, spun with delicate words.
It’s striking how she sinks deeper into uncontrollable feelings even while knowing she can’t be his number one.
Released in August 2022 and included on the album “LOVE,” the track captivates with Soala’s translucent voice and a poignant piano-driven melody.
It’s a song that resonates deeply with those struggling in love that won’t go their way—whether long-distance relationships or one-sided, convenient arrangements—offering comfort and profound empathy.