A classic song about a forbidden love
Adultery dramas we often see in dramas, movies, and TV talk shows—the love that can never come true.
We’ve gathered songs about these “forbidden loves.” There are many beautifully portrayed dramas that make your heart race, but what if you yourself were to fall into a love that isn’t allowed…? Here, we’ll introduce plenty of songs that capture the bittersweet feelings of such forbidden love.
From songs told from a woman’s perspective to those from a man’s point of view, there are more tracks about forbidden love than you might think.
Perhaps that’s because many people are secretly suffering over a love that shouldn’t be….
- [Adultery Song] A forbidden song about an affair that sings of an impossible love
- [Cheating Song] A forbidden love that crossed the line — infidelity song
- 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
- Unattainable Love: A Heartbreaking Love Song About Falling for a Married Person
- [Empathetic & Tear-Jerking] A love song about an unrequited romance
- [An Adulterous Love] A love song about a secret affair you can't tell anyone about
- A song of forbidden love. A heartrending, sorrowful love song.
- [Unrequited Love] Heart-wrenching Love Songs | A Roundup of Tear-Inducing Crush and Breakup Tracks
- Favorite Songs for Women in Their 50s: A Curated Selection of Sweet and Bittersweet Love Ballads!
- [Jealousy & Possessiveness Songs] A curated selection of popular tracks to listen to when possessiveness feels overwhelming!
- Songs about homosexuality and LGBT; love songs on this theme
- “I Want to See You”: A love song that makes you cry when you listen to it while you can’t meet
Masterpieces about forbidden love (41–50)
You are a cigarette, I am a soap bubble.Lovely Summer Chan

A melancholic guitar-pop song by Lovely Summer Chan that delicately depicts the end of a bittersweet love.
Featured on her major-label debut album “LSC,” released in November 2016, the track expresses the faint feelings for someone out of reach and the fragility of having no choice but to accept it.
Through the contrast between “cigarettes,” a symbol of adulthood, and “soap bubbles,” which vanish in an instant, it strikingly portrays the distance between two people who can never truly meet.
It’s a highly relatable song that offers comfort to those who strive to move forward even while suffering from an unrequited love.
Timeless songs about forbidden love (51–60)
StrangersYumi Matsutoya

Unknown Strangers is a song written by Yumi Matsutoya as the theme for the drama Mothers in Love.
The drama’s story is told from the perspective of women engaged in extramarital affairs.
Because it was written specifically for the show, the song carries a fitting atmosphere.
While it includes strong declarations about ending a relationship, the lyrics also reveal that she’s still in love deep down.
It’s not exactly a tear-jerking melody, but it evokes a sense of mature romance and quietly resonates in the heart as you listen.
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.
The Land of LoveMiliyah Kato

This is a ballad that delicately portrays the feelings of a man and a woman consumed by a fleeting relationship.
It carefully depicts the heartrending emotions of two people drawn to each other within an inescapable affair.
Written and composed by Miliyah Kato, it is a wholehearted piece included as the B-side to the single “Saikou na Shiawase,” released in December 2016.
It is a song that will resonate with those lost in love with no exit in sight, and those suffering because they cannot be honest with their own feelings.
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.
worst; minimum; the lowest; awfulRen

Carried by a piano melody where poignancy and fragility melt together, Ren’s translucent voice resonates throughout.
Portraying the anguish and heartache of a protagonist who can’t forget their feelings even while their lover keeps secrets, this work lays bare the inability to say anything to someone who’s crying, as well as the anxieties and frustrations lodged in both hearts.
Released in October 2022, it sparked major buzz, with a short video set against Tokyo’s night skyline—posted on social media—surpassing one million views.
With lyrics and a melody that speak to Gen Z, this song gently embraces listeners struggling with impossible love, such as affairs or unrequited feelings.
selling oneselfloss

A beautiful tragic love song that portrays the heartrending emotions of a woman living in the night city.
Amid a dark, mysterious atmosphere, the protagonist gives herself to a man she does not even love, while continuing to harbor unwavering feelings for the one she truly longs for.
In a darkness without even a single ray of light, the searing emotions of a woman consumed by an impossible love are vividly expressed through Ros’s protean vocals.
Released in March 2022, the song is also included on the album “Yoru no Shizu.” It is a track that deeply resonates with those pained by unrequited love or troubled by a forbidden romance.






