"Hero" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Single by Enrique Iglesias | ||||
from the album Escape | ||||
Released | 3 September 2001 | |||
Recorded | February–May 2001 | |||
Studio |
| |||
Genre | ||||
Length |
| |||
Label | Interscope | |||
Songwriter(s) |
| |||
Producer(s) | Mark Taylor | |||
Enrique Iglesias singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Music video | ||||
"Hero" on YouTube |
"Hero" is a song by Spanish singer-songwriter Enrique Iglesias from his second English-language studio album Escape (2001). It was written by Iglesias, Paul Barry and Mark Taylor. Interscope Records released the song on 3 September 2001 to a positive critical and commercial reception. To the date the single has sold over 8 million copies worldwide, making it one of the best selling singles of all time.
After the 11 September attacks on the World Trade Center, which took place eight days after the single was released, "Hero" was one of the few songs chosen by radio DJs in New York City to be remixed with audio from police, firefighters, civilians at Ground Zero, and politicians commenting on the attacks. Iglesias was asked to sing the song live at America: A Tribute to Heroes . He had performed the song earlier at that year's Miss Venezuela, but due to the terrorist attacks the show was not aired on television.
The American television series Glee featured a version of the song as a mashup mixed with the Gipsy Kings' "Bamboléo". The release from the twelfth episode (called "The Spanish Teacher") in season 3 of the show is named "Bambolero/Hero". The main vocals were done by Chord Overstreet (playing the character Sam Evans). British musician Lawrey recorded a synth-pop version of the song featuring Kate Hawken and Jory Griffin. An Italian version of this song was covered by Micheal Castaldo, in his studio album Bergamot.
On 4 December 2020, Latin boyband CNCO released a cover version of the song 20 years after the original.
"Hero" has a meaning of love and assurance with a desire to be a hero for the love of a woman. [1] Iglesias stated that his high school days were the inspiration for the song. During a 2013 radio interview with Ryan Seacrest, he stated, "I went back to when I was 17 in high school, and this might be cheesy, but I thought about what would be the song I want to slow dance to with my prom date. When I wrote it, it felt good and ... I thought I know there is something special in this song." [2]
Due to the song's subject matter, it was one of the few songs chosen by radio DJs in New York City to be remixed with audio from police, firefighters, civilians at Ground Zero, and politicians commenting on the attacks. Iglesias was also asked to sing the song live at the America: A Tribute to Heroes benefit concert, which took place on 21 September. His performance was broadcast from a warehouse in New York alongside Bruce Springsteen, Bon Jovi, and Sheryl Crow. [3] The location of the warehouse was kept secret in case of further attacks. It was Iglesias's first televised performance of the song. He had performed the song earlier at that year's Miss Venezuela, but due to the terrorist attacks the show was not aired on television. [3]
"Hero" topped many charts in the US including the Billboard adult contemporary chart for fifteen weeks. [4] On the latter, the song would re-enter the top ten a year later, the first song ever to do so. The song peaked at number three on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, [4] though it is actually his most played song on the chart, outdoing prior singles "Bailamos" and "Be with You", both of which went to number one on the chart. A remixed recording also topped the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart in January 2002.
In January 2002, the song was released in the UK, where it debuted at number 86 before jumping 85 places to number one, where it remained for four weeks. Up to this point, Iglesias had already had two hits in the UK ("Bailamos" and "Could I Have This Kiss Forever") but was still largely unknown. "Hero" was seen as his breakthrough in the UK and it became the third best-selling single of 2002 there, whilst Escape was also the third best-selling album of the year. With sales of 836,500, "Hero" was the 17th best-selling single of the 2000s in the UK. In April 2015, it was announced that the song had sold 1 million copies in the UK. [5]
In Australia, the song reached number one on the ARIA Chart, becoming his first number-one in that country. The song also topped the charts in Spain, Switzerland, Portugal, Romania, Ireland and Canada. This is one of Iglesias' best-selling singles and has sold 8 million copies. [6]
The music video for "Hero" was directed by Joseph Kahn in August 2001. It features Iglesias as an honorable criminal hunted by his enemies, while Jennifer Love Hewitt plays his love interest [7] and Mickey Rourke plays one of the men hunting him. [8] The video follows Iglesias and Hewitt running from their enemies in the desert. Finally, Iglesias' enemies track him down and confront him outside a church. The confrontation leads to Iglesias being floored by Rourke, before being struck with a baton. The video skips ahead where Iglesias and Hewitt are seen in the rain surrounded by police cars. Iglesias, though heavily injured, walks towards Hewitt and breaks down beside her. The video ends with Iglesias' death.
In addition to this video, a second video was made for the UK with less violence. The final shot of this video shows Iglesias' legs moving, suggesting that he's not dead. While originally made for the UK, this version has since replaced the original video on many music video stations throughout the world. It is also the version shown on Vevo and YouTube.
Portions of the video were filmed in the ghost town Amboy, California in the Mojave Desert and just outside Desert Hot Springs, California near Palm Springs. The historic gas station location that they filmed at, outside of Desert Hot Springs, was one of the first gas stations in the Palm Springs area. As of 1 June 2024, the video has been viewed 534 million times on YouTube. [9]
In May 2024, Hewitt told Entertainment Tonight, "The craziest thing about that video shoot that I don’t know if people know, is that Enrique and [American singer and actress] Aaliyah were close friends. And the night that we filmed that video, was the night that she passed. And so Enrique had to film that, like all of his crying stuff in the video was filmed and he was really crying because she had passed [...] we all did a big prayer for [Aaliyah] at the end of the video." [10] [11]
Year | Ceremony | Award | Result |
---|---|---|---|
2002 | My VH1 Music Awards | Best Actor in a Video (Jennifer Love Hewitt) | Nominated |
Is It Hot In Here, Or Is It Just My Video | Nominated | ||
The Record of the Year Award | Record of the Year | Nominated | |
Billboard Latin Music Awards | Latin Dance Club/Play Track of the Year | Won | |
Canadian Fannie Awards | Favourite Video | Nominated | |
Comet Awards | Best Male Video | Won | |
MTV Europe Music Awards | Best Song | Nominated | |
Lo Nuestro Award | Video of the Year | Won | |
Los Premios MTV Latinoamerica | Video of the Year | Won | |
MTV Video Music Awards | Best Male Video | Nominated | |
Viewer's Choice | Nominated | ||
MTV Latin America (North) | Nominated | ||
MTV Latin America (Pacific) | Won | ||
2003 | ASCAP Pop Music Awards | Song of the Year | Won |
Ivor Novello Awards | Best Selling UK Single | Nominated |
UK CD1
UK CD2 – The Remixes
DE CD single
Japanese CD single
Japanese "Hero/Escape" maxi single [12]
Weekly charts | Year-end charts
Decade-end charts
All-time charts
|
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Australia (ARIA) [82] | 2× Platinum | 140,000^ |
Austria (IFPI Austria) [83] | Gold | 20,000* |
Belgium (BEA) [84] | Gold | 25,000* |
Denmark (IFPI Danmark) [85] | Platinum | 90,000‡ |
Germany (BVMI) [86] | Gold | 250,000^ |
Netherlands (NVPI) [87] | Gold | 40,000^ |
Norway (IFPI Norway) [88] | Platinum | |
Spain (PROMUSICAE) [89] | Gold | 30,000‡ |
Sweden (GLF) [90] | Platinum | 30,000^ |
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland) [91] | Platinum | 40,000^ |
United Kingdom (BPI) [92] | 2× Platinum | 1,200,000‡ |
* Sales figures based on certification alone. |
Region | Version | Date | Format(s) | Label(s) | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
United States | "Hero" | 31 August 2001 | Interscope | [93] | |
Spain | |||||
Australia | 22 October 2001 | CD | [94] | ||
Japan | 24 October 2001 | [95] | |||
"Hero" / "Escape" | 23 January 2002 | [96] |
On 4 December 2020, Latin boyband CNCO released a cover version of the song 20 years after the original. The single is accompanied with a music video, in its turn being a tribute to the visual direction of the Backstreet Boys' 1999 music video "Show Me the Meaning of Being Lonely". The track "Hero" appeared on the band's cover album Déja Vu in 2021. The group also recorded a Spanish version for the deluxe edition of their album. [97] CNCO previously worked with Iglesias on a remix of his 2017 song "Súbeme la Radio". [98]
"Hero" has become wildly popular due in part to the fact that it has been featured in many television shows and movies around the world. The earliest appearance of the song on an American television show was on a 2001 episode of The WB show Smallville entitled "Craving". Since then the song has been featured in such American sitcoms and reality television shows as Scrubs , Saturday Night Live: The Best of Jimmy Fallon, Glee , The X Factor , So You Think You Can Dance , Dancing with the Stars and the miniseries I Love the New Millennium . The song has also been featured in such international television shows as Hinter Gittern – Der Frauenknast and So You Think You Can Dance Canada . Numerous films also feature the song, including Hot Tub Time Machine , Premios Amigo 2001, Zoom , Lady Godiva , Drillbit Taylor , Don Quixote , and Beverly Hills Chihuahua .
Although the song has appeared in many television shows and movies, the first televised performance of the song was scheduled to be Iglesias's performance of the song at Miss Venezuela on 11 September 2001, but this performance was not televised due to the terrorist attacks on that day. The actual first televised performance of the song was when Iglesias performed the song at the America: A Tribute to Heroes concert on 21 September, ten days after the attacks. [99]
"Bailamos" is a single by Spanish singer Enrique Iglesias sung in English with some lines in Spanish. The song was released in 1999 as part of the soundtrack to the film Wild Wild West (1999) and later included on Iglesias's fourth and debut English-language album, Enrique (1999). "Bailamos" reached number one on the Spanish Singles Chart and on the US Billboard Hot 100, and it became a top-three hit in Canada, Hungary, New Zealand, Norway, and Sweden. In both New Zealand and Spain, it was the second-most-successful single of 1999.
Escape is the fifth studio album and second English-language album recorded by Spanish singer and songwriter Enrique Iglesias. It was released by Interscope Records on 30 October 2001.
"Could I Have This Kiss Forever" is a mid-tempo duet performed by American singer Whitney Houston and Spanish singer Enrique Iglesias. It was written by Diane Warren and produced by David Foster, Mark Taylor and Brian Rawling. The song first appeared on Iglesias's debut English-language album Enrique (1999) as a slow Latin-styled ballad. It was also included on Houston's first compilation album, Whitney: The Greatest Hits (2000). It achieved chart success in many countries, including Switzerland and the Netherlands, where it reached number one.
"Be with You" is a song by Spanish singer-songwriter Enrique Iglesias, released on 29 February 2000 through Interscope Records as the third single from Iglesias's debut English-language studio album, Enrique (1999). It was co-written by Iglesias and produced by Mark Taylor and Brian Rawling, the team responsible for Cher's hit song "Believe". Iglesias once stated that he initially came up with the lyrics of the song while taking a break from recording in London's Hyde Park. He also recorded a Spanish version of the song titled "Sólo me importas tú".
"Addicted" is a song by Spanish singer Enrique Iglesias. It was the first single released from his seventh studio album, 7. It was a modest hit in the UK, where it charted within the top 20, though it failed to chart on the US Billboard Hot 100. The Spanish version, titled "Adicto", peaked inside the top 10 of the Billboard Hot Latin Tracks chart and is included on several formats of the single release.
"Do You Know? " is a song by Spanish singer Enrique Iglesias. It was released in 2007 as the first single from his eighth studio album, Insomniac and takes the latter part of its English name from the sound of a ping pong ball bouncing that is employed as a percussion track throughout the song. The song's Spanish version is entitled "Dímelo" and was released to Latin radio, becoming Iglesias' 17th number one song on the US Billboard Hot Latin Songs.
"Escape" is a song written by Enrique Iglesias, Steve Morales, Kara DioGuardi, and David Siegel for Iglesias' fifth studio album, Escape (2001). The song is the album's opening track and was released as its second single. In Japan, "Escape" was released on 23 January 2002 as a double A-side with "Hero", while in the United States, it was serviced to radio five days later. The song reached number three in the UK and number 12 on the US Billboard Hot 100. A Spanish version of the song, titled "Escapar", reached number nine in Iglesias's native Spain.
"Not in Love" is a song by Spanish singer Enrique Iglesias. The song was written by Iglesias, Paul Barry, Victoria Horn, Mark Taylor, Sheppard Solomon, and Fernando Garibay for Iglesias' seventh studio album, 7 (2003). The album version features Iglesias's vocals only, with the radio mix featuring an extra verse and chorus by American singer Kelis. "Not in Love" was released as the album's second and final single in February 2, 2004 and peaked within the top 10 of the charts in the Czech Republic, Denmark, Greece, Ireland, the Netherlands, Norway, Romania, and the United Kingdom.
Spanish singer Enrique Iglesias has released 11 studio albums, five compilation albums, 62 singles, and 80 music videos. Iglesias started his career in 1995 with his first Spanish album and self-titled album Enrique Iglesias, which produced five number-ones on the Hot Latin Tracks chart and won a Grammy Award for Best Latin Pop Album in 1997. In 1999, he released his first English album Enrique, which included the song "Bailamos" from the film Wild Wild West. The album produced two number-one Billboard Hot 100 tracks. In 2001, Enrique released Escape which has sold over 8 million copies worldwide.
"Don't Turn Off the Lights" is a song by Spanish singer Enrique Iglesias from his second English-language studio album, Escape (2001). The song was written by Iglesias, Steve Morales, Kara DioGuardi, and Dave Siegel and was released as the third single from the album in the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. The song was produced by Morales, and Cuban-American singer Jon Secada provides backing vocals on the track. A Spanish-language version titled "No apagues la luz" was also recorded.
"Love to See You Cry" is the fourth single released from Spanish singer-songwriter Enrique Iglesias' second English-language studio album, Escape. The song was written by Iglesias, Mark Taylor, Paul Barry and Steve Torch, and produced by Mark Taylor for Metro/Brian Rawling Productions.
"Takin' Back My Love" is a song by Spanish singer Enrique Iglesias featuring American singer Ciara. It was released as the second single from his English greatest hits album Greatest Hits (2008). The song was produced by RedOne who was a co-writer of the song alongside Iglesias and Frankie Storm.
"I Like It" is a song performed by Spanish singer Enrique Iglesias taken from his first bilingual studio album, Euphoria. It features guest vocals from American rapper Pitbull. Both artists co-wrote the electropop song with RedOne, who produced it. It also interpolates Lionel Richie's 1983 single "All Night Long ", with vocals re-recorded by Richie himself. I Like It was released on 3 May 2010 as the debut English single and second single overall. The song was also included on the official soundtrack to MTV reality series Jersey Shore. A version of the song without Pitbull is also found on the international version of Euphoria. The song also serves as the first single from the Jersey Shore soundtrack. The song was the official song of Airtel 2010 Champions League Twenty20. Commercially, the song reached number one in Canada and the top ten in nineteen additional countries, including the United States and the United Kingdom, where it reached number four. The song has sold 4 million copies in the US alone.
"Tonight (I'm Fuckin' You)", censored as “Tonight (I'm Lovin' You)" or simply "Tonight" in altered versions, is a song by Spanish singer Enrique Iglesias. It features American rapper Ludacris and producer DJ Frank E. The song was released to US radio on 1 November 2010, as the album's second US single, and digitally on 22 November 2010. The altered version of the song was included on the French limited edition of Euphoria. The official remix features American rapper Pitbull.
"Dirty Dancer" is a song by Spanish singer Enrique Iglesias and American singer Usher, recorded for Iglesias' sixth studio album, Euphoria, and included on Usher's EP Versus. A remix of the song, which features American rapper Lil Wayne and American singer Nayer, was released on 9 May 2011 by Universal Music Group as the sixth single from Euphoria. Written by the two singers with Evan Bogart, Erika Nuri and David Quiñones and producer RedOne, "Dirty Dancer" is a dance-pop song.
"I'm a Freak" is the third English single from Enrique Iglesias's album, Sex and Love. It was the first single from the album to be released worldwide. The single was released on 11 January 2014 and features American rapper Pitbull.
"Bailando" (transl. "Dancing") is a song by Spanish singer-songwriter Enrique Iglesias for his tenth studio album Sex and Love (2014). Written by Iglesias with long-time collaborator Bueno, the first and Spanish version was released with Cuban artists Descemer Bueno and Gente de Zona. Shortly afterward, the official version of the song was released by Universal Republic Records as the sixth single from the album. The song spent 41 weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot Latin Songs chart. "Bailando" was produced by Carlos Paucar.
"El Perdón" is a song by American singer Nicky Jam and Spanish singer Enrique Iglesias released as the first single to Nicky Jam's third studio album Fénix (2017). An English-language version of the song, titled "Forgiveness", was released on July 10, 2015. The single was later included on Enrique Iglesias' eleventh studio album Final (2021).
"Súbeme la Radio" is a song by Spanish singer Enrique Iglesias featuring Cuban singer Descemer Bueno and Puerto Rican reggaeton duo Zion & Lennox. The song was released by RCA Records and Sony Music Latin on 24 February 2017. It was written by Iglesias, Zion & Lennox, Bueno, Chris Jeday, Juan Rivera and Luis Ortiz, and produced by Jeday, Carlos Paucar and Gaby Music. "Súbeme la Radio" peaked at number two in Spain and on the US Hot Latin Songs chart.
"Reggaetón Lento (Bailemos)" is a song by Latin American boy band CNCO. It was released on August 26, 2016, as the third single from their debut studio album, Primera Cita (2016). The song was written by Eric Perez, Jadan Andino, Jorge Class and Yashua Camacho. The video has received over 1.5 billion views on YouTube as of April 2019. On August 18, 2017, the group released an English-language remix of the song recorded with British girl group Little Mix.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)