[Unrequited Love] Heart-wrenching Love Songs | A Roundup of Tear-Inducing Crush and Breakup Tracks
“Even though I know it won’t be rewarded…” Once you fall in love, it’s not so easy to stop your feelings, is it?
You tell yourself you can’t go on like this, that you have to end it, but when you see them, you just can’t hold back your love.
In this article, we introduce love songs that portray the pain of unrequited love and lay bare those unspoken feelings.
Listen to them when you’re tired of loving.
They’ll gently wrap around you, saying, “It’s tough, I know.”
[Unrequited Love] Heart-wrenching Love Songs | A Complete Selection of Tear-Jerking Crush and Breakup Songs (1–10)
Even if it hurts, I love you—may I tell you that?
I love them so much, but I can’t put these feelings into words. Because I like them, I can’t tell them. That’s really painful, isn’t it? If it were just about forcing my feelings onto them, it would probably be easy. But precisely because you care, you wish for their happiness, or you don’t want to ruin the relationship you have now, so you can’t say it. For you who feel this way, I’ve carefully selected and will introduce songs that sing about unrequited love.
raspberryMarcy

When you fall in love, emotions spill over that reason can’t hold back.
Marcy’s unrequited-love song vividly portrays feelings that only grow stronger for someone special.
Released in June 2023, the piece sets bittersweet, tender emotions for a loved one to a guitar rock-driven sound.
It delicately captures the heart of unrequited love—swaying between joy and despair at the other person’s ambiguity, yet still holding onto hope.
It will surely resonate with hearts that can’t confess their feelings, unable to keep them in.
Ambiguous BlueTakaya Kawasaki

A pure, heart-stirring gem of a love song by Takaya Kawasaki that delicately portrays the sense of distance between two people and the ache that comes with it.
The more you learn about the other person, the more jealousy begins to grow—yet the love deepens even more.
These subtle, complex emotions are gently wrapped in his warm vocals and a simple arrangement centered on acoustic guitar.
Chosen as the theme song for the MBS drama “Fukushū Kareshi: Deki-ai Shachō no Kao ni wa Ura ga Aru” (Revenge Boyfriend: The Devoted CEO Has Another Side), this track tenderly accompanies anyone who, despite feeling doubt and anxiety about their relationship, can’t suppress the feelings they hold inside.
habit of laughingHaru Igarashi

A song that portrays the ache of a love too deep to forget, even as time passes.
In this track, Haru Igarashi delicately captures the frustration of how trivial everyday moments turn into special memories, and the poignancy of nights spent with those memories when you can’t move on.
Even the way the other person laughed and their gestures remain vividly etched in the mind, and the feeling is so intense that you find yourself praying to God, “Please let me forget everything.” Released in March 2025, this work will gently accompany those whose hearts are filled with memories they can’t forget, no matter how hard they try, and those who are still unable to accept parting from someone dear.
to cry innocently; to weep with a childlike airAKASAKI

This song resonates with the heart through its tenderness that tries to embrace a pure soul holding back tears, and the bittersweet ache of feelings that aren’t returned.
AKASAKI’s delicate portrayal of emotion and straightforward expression of love are deeply moving.
Released as a single in January 2025, it became a hot topic after being selected as Kiss FM KOBE’s recommended Japanese track for the month.
The intertwining of the desire to protect someone and the loneliness of unfulfilled devotion evokes empathy as an emotion many have experienced.
It’s a song that gently stays by the side of anyone striving to move forward while carrying feelings for someone dear.
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.
I want to forget.wacci

A delicate breakup song by wacci that begins with the scent of cigarettes triggering the way once-happy times dissipate like smoke.
Despite the overwhelming desire to “forget,” the voice of the other person and the memory of their kiss refuse to fade, lingering in the heart—expressed through a heartrending, beautiful melody.
Released in July 2024 as the third installment of wacci’s three-part love song project, the track was distributed digitally and became a smash hit.
It’s a highly relatable work that resonates with those who still have lingering feelings about past relationships or struggle to let go of an ex.
The strong and fleeting onesCocco

This song portrays a poignant love that sets out on a difficult journey to build something precious for a beloved, only to be confronted with the reality of betrayal.
It depicts, with striking clarity, both the strength to fight for love and the fragility and weakness inherent in being human, while Cocco’s translucent voice resonates deeply.
Released in November 1997, it was featured as the theme song for JAL’s Hawaii campaign commercial.
It’s a piece that offers solace to those who resonate with the turmoil between wanting to protect someone dear and facing an unyielding reality, as well as to those struggling with unrequited love.





![[Unrequited Love] Heart-wrenching Love Songs | A Roundup of Tear-Inducing Crush and Breakup Tracks](https://i.ytimg.com/vi_webp/7Pk-9_fZHdg/maxresdefault.webp)
