The Boy Next Door is a 1944 popular song written by Hugh Martin and Ralph Blane. It was introduced in the musical film Meet Me in St. Louis, where Judy Garland performs it with an arrangement by Conrad Salinger conducted by Georgie Stoll, and it appears on the film’s soundtrack released by Decca. The song is a show tune that helps advance the story and reveal a character’s emotions on screen, and it has since become a standard performed by many artists. It is sometimes performed under the title The Girl Next Door. Notable recordings include Judy Garland (Decca 23362, 1944), Frank Sinatra (Songs for Young Lovers, 1954; All Alone, 1962), Don Fagerquist, Sarah Vaughan, Bill Evans, and Barbra Streisand.
