John Arnold Griffin III (April 24, 1928 – July 25, 2008) was an American bo… Read Full Bio ↴John Arnold Griffin III (April 24, 1928 – July 25, 2008) was an American bop and hard bop tenor saxophonist.

Like many other successful musicians from Chicago, he studied music at DuSable High School under Walter Dyett. Griffin, was reputed to be the 'World's Fastest Saxophonist' in the jazz idiom, though as he aged, and as the jazz audience declined, this accolade all but disappeared.
In the 1940s and 1950s he worked in Lionel Hampton's and Joe Morris's bands, in the Jazz Messengers, and in the Thelonious Monk Quartet. From 1960 to 1962 Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis and Griffin led their own group. Having felt he had achieved much in the USA, his pinnacle on record arguably the 1957 Blowin' session on the Blue Note label with fellow tenor John Coltrane, he moved to Europe. He lived in France in 1963, moving to the Netherlands in 1978, and he still continued to record and tour until his death in 2008.

The Boy Next Door
Johnny Griffin Lyrics

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The moment I saw him smile
I knew he was just my style
My only regret is we've never met
Though I dream of him all the while
But he doesn't know I exist
No matter how I may persist
So it's clear to see there's no hope for me
Though I live at fifty-one-thirty-five Kensington Avenue

And he lives at fifty-one-thirty-three
How can I ignore the boy next door
I love him more than I can say
Doesn't try to please me
Doesn't even tease me
And he never sees me glance his way
And though I'm heart-sore, the boy next door
Affection for me won't display
I just adore him
So I can't ignore him
The boy next door
I just adore him

So I can't ignore him
The boy next door

Overall Meaning

In the song "The Boy Next Door" by Johnny Griffin, the singer describes their love for a boy who lives next door. They explain that from the moment they saw him smile, they knew he was their style, and they dream of him constantly. However, the singer is heartbroken because the boy doesn't even know they exist, let alone share their affection. Despite living just two houses apart, the singer feels hopeless, as the boy never pays them any attention.

The lyrics convey a common theme of unrequited love, and the pain and longing that come with it. The singer is trapped in a frustrating cycle of adoration and rejection, unable to express their feelings to the object of their desire. By describing the boy as "the boy next door," the song captures the idea that sometimes we can be so close to someone yet feel so far away, due to circumstances beyond our control.

Overall, the song is a poignant reflection on the often-unrequited nature of love, and the feelings of longing and despair it can create. Despite the sadness inherent in the lyrics, there is also a sense of hopefulness and romanticism, as the singer continues to dream of a future where their love may be reciprocated.

Line by Line Meaning

The moment I saw him smile
As soon as I saw him smile, I knew I liked him.

I knew he was just my style
I knew he was exactly the kind of person I like.

My only regret is we've never met
I wish we had met before.

Though I dream of him all the while
Even when I sleep, I think about him.

But he doesn't know I exist
He has no idea that I am interested in him.

No matter how I may persist
Even if I try hard, he still won't notice me.

So it's clear to see there's no hope for me
It's obvious that there is no chance for us to be together.

Though I live at fifty-one-thirty-five Kensington Avenue
Even though I live in the same neighborhood.

And he lives at fifty-one-thirty-three
He lives so close to me.

How can I ignore the boy next door
I can't stop thinking about the guy next door.

I love him more than I can say
My love for him is beyond words.