Breakup songs popular among women in their 20s. Tear-jerking love songs.

STEP BY STEPORANGE RANGE

Speaking of ORANGE RANGE, the image that comes to mind is bright, fun music! But this song is a rare breakup ballad.

Even though they’ve decided to part ways, they can’t take the final step when they think about each other—the lyrics capture the feelings of these two people.

You let me do as I please, and yet...Are-kun

You’re the one who let me fall for you / Arekun [Official Music Video]

Arekun, whose “Baka.” blew up on TikTok and ignited popularity among the younger generation, has done it again.

This song, “Suki ni Saseta Kuse ni,” sings of an unattainable love and feelings that won’t reach, making it a tear-jerker that will squeeze many hearts.

The music video is strangely captivating too—you can’t help but watch and think, “Ugh, I know that feeling,” and totally relate.

Arekun’s delicate, murmuring voice only heightens the sense of longing.

Put it on when you want to sink all the way into that feeling of “It’s the end of the world; I’m all alone in it.”

Please forget it.Yorushika

Yorushika – Please Forget (OFFICIAL VIDEO)

It’s a heartbreak song by Yorushika that tightens your chest with its bittersweet love—the kind that wishes happiness for an ex while saying “please forget me.” Released in July 2024 as the theme song for the drama “GO HOME: Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department Unidentified Persons Consultation Office,” the track sets gentle melodies against a narrator who recalls precious memories they shared, even as they wish those memories to be forgotten.

Yet behind those words lies the true feeling of “please don’t actually forget,” a confession that’s sure to loosen your tear ducts.

Vocalist suis’s clear, translucent voice conveys this self-sacrificial and contradictory form of love with painfully delicate nuance.

On nights when you want to face the pain of heartbreak alone, listening to this song will feel as if it speaks for you and quietly stays by your side.

wedgeHanako Oku

Kusabi (Wedge) by Hanako Oku

A piano ballad by Hanako Oku that quietly embraces the inescapable pain of parting.

Cherished since her indie days and lovingly passed down in her performances, it’s a song that has been adored by fans for many years.

Two shadows lit by streetlights after the last train has gone, a final kiss shared even as they know they’ll never meet again.

Lyrics that portray such helpless scenes are sure to resonate deeply with anyone who has experienced heartbreak.

The song gained popularity through word of mouth and was finally released as a single in July 2015, marking the 10th anniversary of her debut.

It was later included on the album “Prism.” On nights when you’re sinking into sorrow with no way out, why not surrender yourself to this piece and let the tears flow?

Stardust VenusAimer

Stardust Venus

This is a song by Aimer that overlays unforgettable memories of love onto the stars in the night sky and sings of heartache.

The lingering attachment to a precious person who has been lost and the increasingly idealized memories are delicately depicted through a fragile yet resolute voice.

Released as a single in August 2012, it is also included on the acclaimed album “Sleepless Nights.” As the theme song for the drama “Will Such a Luxury as Love Fall Upon Me?”, it enriched the story’s worldview.

The piano-and-strings sound this work possesses is sure to resonate deeply with listeners’ sentimental hearts.

If you listen on a quiet night when you want to be alone with your memories, it will surely wrap your heart in gentle warmth.

maybeYOASOBI

YOASOBI “Tabun” Official Music Video

A morning of ending for two, greeted in a room fallen silent.

This is a YOASOBI song that portrays such a matter-of-fact scene of parting.

Released in July 2020, it also served as the theme song for a short film.

True to the duo’s concept of “turning novels into music,” it was created based on a publicly submitted short story.

There’s a painfully real quality in the way they try to accept a relationship that drifted apart—not because either person was at fault—with the word “probably.” Ikura’s clear, translucent vocals delicately capture the subtleties of a heart that can’t neatly move on, and are sure to resonate deeply with those carrying the pain of heartbreak.

While accepting the end, you can’t help but empathize with the sudden longing for the past that slips in.

Your Dissection Pure Love Song ~Die~Aimyon

Your Dissection Pure Love Song ~Die~

This is a song by Aimyon that portrays love running amok—the kind of overwhelming affection that makes you want to keep every part of the other person to yourself.

Despite its poppy, upbeat melody, the song sings of a crazed possessiveness that refuses to let anyone else have them.

Released in March 2015 as her indie debut, it was later included on the mini-album “tamago.” If you’ve ever not only suffered the pain of heartbreak, but also been tormented by jealousy and fixation—asking yourself, “Why do I feel this way?”—you’ll deeply relate to the protagonist’s intense emotions.

Belt it out at karaoke and let your feelings explode—you might find that the murky emotions stuck deep inside your heart clear up just a little.