Eddie Hodges (born 5 March 1947 - Hattiesburg, Mississippi, USA) is a forme… Read Full Bio ↴Eddie Hodges (born 5 March 1947 - Hattiesburg, Mississippi, USA) is a former child actor and recording artist who left show business as an adult.

Eddie Hodges was born in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, U.S., on March 5, 1947. Hodges travelled to New York City with his family and on October 4, 1957, was a contestant on the TV game show Name That Tune. The story presented to the press at the time was that he was noticed by Rini Willson, the wife of playwright and composer Meredith Willson who was looking for a boy to cast in a new musical; however, the fact was that he had been auditioning for the part prior to being asked to appear on the game show, and that there was an agreement between the producers of the two productions that the boy chosen to play the role in the musical would be "discovered" on the television show.
Hodges' partner contestant on Name That Tune was Marine Corps test pilot Col. John Glenn, later an astronaut, United States Senator and presidential candidate.

Hodges made his professional acting debut on stage in Willson's 1957 Broadway musical The Music Man. He made his film debut in the 1959 film A Hole in the Head with Frank Sinatra and Edward G. Robinson, in which Hodges and Sinatra performed a song called High Hopes. Hodges did not perform on Sinatra's hit recording of the song.
Hodges made eight feature films and numerous TV guest appearances. He is probably best remembered for the title role in Michael Curtiz's 1960 film The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, which is considered one of the best of the many attempts to film Mark Twain's classic. Both Hodges and his co-star as Jim, Archie Moore, received generally positive reviews for their performances. He also appeared in the 1963 Disney film Summer Magic.
Guest appearances on network TV productions included Bonanza, Gunsmoke, Cimarron Strip and The Dick Van Dyke Show, among others. He was also a Mystery Guest on What's My Line?

At the age of 14, Hodges recorded for Cadence Records and his biggest hit was "I'm Gonna Knock On Your Door" in 1961. He also scored a minor hit with "(Girls, Girls, Girls) Made to Love," a song written by Phil Everly and originally recorded by The Everly Brothers. He recorded for several other record labels. Before he left Hollywood, he was a union musician, record producer, song writer and music publisher. He collaborated with Tandyn Almer ("Along Comes Mary") with whom he wrote and published several songs and owned his own music publishing business. Hodges continues to write songs today but is no longer involved in the music business. He also appeared in the 1963 Disney film Summer Magic and the 1967 film The Happiest Millionaire.

Hodges was drafted into the Army during the Vietnam War in the late 1960s. After he was discharged, he returned to Hollywood and became disillusioned with show business. He decided to return to his native Mississippi and entered the The University of Southern Mississippi where he received his B.A. in Psychology and an M.S. in Counseling. He became and is still a mental health counselor. He is divorced and has two grown children and three grandchildren. He occasionally gets in touch with his old show business friends and still writes songs. Hodges rode out Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and informed his fans that he was fine after being missing for 19 days when the utilities were restored.

Ain't Gonna Wash for a Week
Eddie Hodges Lyrics

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We ain't a-gonna wash
We ain't a-gonna wash
We ain't a-gonna wash for a week

Oh! my goodness gracious and golly gee!
I never thought you'd get around to kissin' me
But your sweet red lips just kissed my cheek
Now I ain't a-gonna wash for a week, a-no no

I ain't a-gonna wash for a week

I got a kiss from you and it's my lucky day
Soap and water in it gonna wash it away
I'm gonna keep your lipstick on my cheek
And I ain't agonna wash for a week, a-no no
I ain't a-gonna wash for a week

Oh-oh, I don't know when you'll do it again
So I'm gonna savour what I got
Oh I promise you till then
I'm gonna protect that beautiful spot

You can call me cookie, but nevertheless
I ain't a-gonna wash away a single caress
You can tell me what's a little old kiss on the cheek?
But I ain't agonna wash for a week, a-no no
I ain't a-gonna wash for a week

We ain't a-gonna wash
We ain't a-gonna wash
We ain't a-gonna wash for a week

Oh-oh, I don't know when you'll do it again
So I'm gonna savour what I got
Oh I promise you till then
I'm gonna protect that beautiful spot

You can call me cookie, but nevertheless
I ain't a-gonna wash away a single caress
You can tell me what's a little old kiss on the cheek?
But I ain't a-gonna wash for a week, a-no no
I ain't a-gonna wash for a week

We ain't a-gonna wash
We ain't a-gonna wash
We ain't a-gonna wash for a week

(Transcribed from the Brook Brothers

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Eddie Hodges's song Ain't Gonna Wash for a Week tell the story of a young man who receives a kiss on the cheek from a girl he never thought would kiss him. He is so thrilled by the experience that he declares he's not going to wash his face for a whole week, just to keep her lipstick mark on his cheek as a reminder of the encounter. He believes that the kiss is a lucky charm, and he wants to keep it with him for as long as possible.

The lyrics of the song capture the excitement and innocence of youth, as well as the thrill of first love. The boy is smitten with the girl who kissed him, and he is willing to do whatever it takes to keep the memory of that kiss alive. The song also has a lighthearted and humorous tone, with the repeated refrain of "We ain't gonna wash for a week" adding to the playful nature of the song.

Overall, the lyrics of Ain't Gonna Wash for a Week are a fun and nostalgic look at young love and the eagerness of youth to hold onto special moments.

Line by Line Meaning

We ain't a-gonna wash
We are not going to take a bath or shower

We ain't a-gonna wash
We are not going to clean ourselves

We ain't a-gonna wash for a week
We have decided not to wash ourselves for an entire week

Oh! my goodness gracious and golly gee!
Expressing surprise and excitement

I never thought you'd get around to kissin' me
I didn't expect you to kiss me

But your sweet red lips just kissed my cheek
You just kissed my cheek with your sweet red lips

Now I ain't a-gonna wash for a week, a-no no
Now I have a reason not to wash myself for a week

I ain't a-gonna wash for a week
I will not wash myself for a week

I got a kiss from you and it's my lucky day
I am lucky to have received a kiss from you

Soap and water in it gonna wash it away
Soap and water would wash away the kiss

I'm gonna keep your lipstick on my cheek
I am going to keep the mark of your lipstick on my cheek

And I ain't agonna wash for a week, a-no no
And I have decided not to wash myself for a week

Oh-oh, I don't know when you'll do it again
Expressing uncertainty about the possibility of receiving another kiss

So I'm gonna savour what I got
I am going to enjoy what I have now

Oh I promise you till then
I promise to keep the mark of your kiss until then

I'm gonna protect that beautiful spot
I am going to protect the spot where you kissed me

You can call me cookie, but nevertheless
You can call me whatever you want, but still

I ain't a-gonna wash away a single caress
I am not going to remove any trace of your touch

You can tell me what's a little old kiss on the cheek?
You may think a simple kiss on the cheek is not a big deal

But I ain't agonna wash for a week, a-no no
But I have decided that I will not wash myself for a week