I press play on our next number one, and I start to feel the bile rising the second Enrique Iglesias whispers: Let me be your hero…
Hero, by Enrique Iglesias (his 1st and only #1)
4 weeks, from 27th January – 24th February 2002
I’ve never liked this song, right from the time it was spending an interminable month on top of the charts. There may be external reasons for this hate, which we’ll get to shortly, but even before those external reasons came along I thought this was overwrought garbage. It feels like a leftover nineties power-ballad; even though it isn’t a power-ballad, at least not until the final chorus. Beef it up a bit, though, and it’s ‘Always’ by Bon Jovi. And there are few worse insults than that, in my book.
For most of its runtime, ‘Hero’ is a Spanish-guitar tinged love song. Enrique delivers it in a tremulous, hiccupping manner he must have thought would make him sound overcome with emotion, but to me it sounds like he’s gagging over the words, like a cat hacking up a big hairball. Though to be fair, gagging is the reasonable response to this bilge.
The best bit is the understated Latin guitar solo, which is not a sound we hear very often on top of the charts. Note that it is also the bit where Enrique shuts up. The funny thing is, I quite like some of his songs. He tended to be pretty listenable, and fun, when he kept things upbeat. ‘Hero’ though, remains his signature song, for English-speakers at least.
I remember the video quite well too, and Enrique cavorting with Jennifer Love-Hewitt before being beaten to death by Mickey Rourke. He had a habit of casting beautiful women in his videos, with tennis player Anna Kournikova appearing in the follow-up ‘Escape’. To be fair, they’ve been in a relationship ever since, which will have ruined Enrique’s chances of equalling his father’s body count (over 3000, apparently). But, they do here become the first father and son to top the UK charts, Julio having made it twenty years earlier with ‘Begin the Beguine’.
The other reason why I can’t stand ‘Hero’, and which may be clouding my judgement of an undoubtedly popular song, is that it will forever remind me of the death of a school friend. He died suddenly, when we were nineteen, and this played as we left the funeral service. Thing is, there is no way he would have chosen this song for his funeral. He’d probably never once thought about what song he’d want played at his funeral. What nineteen-year-old would? It was clearly just a CD of mood-appropriate music owned by the crematorium. (The other song I remember playing was Aerosmith’s ‘Don’t Wanna Miss a Thing’, another one I now cannot stand). I think that’s incredibly sad, having a song you don’t like played at your funeral. Better to have silence. Ever since, though I’ve not made an official list, I’ve dropped regular hints to those who listen that I’d like certain songs played at my funeral. I won’t say what they are here, not wanting to tempt fate, but rest assured if Enrique Iglesias’s ‘Hero’ is played, whoever is responsible will be getting haunted, mercilessly.
The UK Number Ones Blog 
I remember as a kid during the 2000s, Enrique was one of the few non-Indian singers my mom liked because, well, look at him, even as a straight man I can admit that’s a beautiful man. She was a fan of Ricky Martin for similiar reasons. I have some fondness for some of his hits. I was a pre-teen in the late-2000s/early-2010s and he had some big hits here in Australia like “I Like It” and “Tonight I’m Loving You” (a rare case where the censored version of the song is much better than the uncensored version which is laughable, though as a young boy, the music video being basically softcore porn was awesome)
This song, for me, I would be pretty embarrassed to having to sing this song and be known to be associated with this song. I actually don’t think it’s horrible, but it’s not that good. It’s way too melodramatic for me. Singers better than Enrique can pull this off and it has been done many times, but he can’t do it. I think I read this song – though Enrique was already a big star – got a huge boost because of 9/11 and people mourning the event.
He looks the same now aged fifty, and doesn’t look like he’s had that much work done, which I find slightly unsettling. Still has a fondness for beanie hats, which I assume hides a receding hairline…
I read that he sang this at a concert or fundraiser for the NYFD shortly after 9/11, which helped it take off. The title and a couple of lines from the chorus are apt, but aside from that it’s a strange song to sing for firefighters… I always like ‘Escape’, which was the follow-up to this, and he did have some good 00s pop songs. Later on it his songs always seemed to come with a ft. Pitbull or Flo Rida credit, which is usually enough to put me off before listening.
Some people have the best luck when it comes ot their looks, and both of Enrique’s parents were very good-looking when they were young so there’s the genetic factor (Spanish/Filipina tend to make very good-looking children). Plus, he’s mega rich so he has access to the best health and cosmetic case in the world.
He’s still pretty successful in Latin America, from what I can tell. Not Bad Bunny level – do you Brits even know who Bad Bunny is? He has God-level streaming numbers yet I wonder how famous he is outside of North and South America I’ve never heard his music in Australia yet apparently he’s doing two stadium shows here – but successful enough.
Bad Bunny is definitely known in the UK, but isn’t much of a presence on the charts.
One would assume that a month at the top would have made some impression on the cultural consciousness.. But I’m pretty sure I’ve never heard this song before. Bilge is the only word.
Maolsheachlann
It’s interesting that there isn’t even a “critical reception” section on its Wikipedia page! Ha!
Maolsheachlann
Really! A chance to get a quote from this blog in there…
Sounds like a bad worship song.
Sorry about the song funeral thing, I have the same reaction I’m afraid when songs get played at funerals, it makes them difficult to listen to again. I never minded Hero – I’d long been a fan of his big English-language latin pop hits, so to me Hero was a bit of a step-down as a fairly uneventful ballad. But I have a nicer memory of it: played as “their song” at my niece’s 21st bash, and that’s why romantic love songs will always do well with young people in love. So I’m more likely to go “awww” than “arghhhhh!” with Enrique. The dance remix isnt bad though, I preferred that version.
Bad Bunny is huge in Spain, just got back from there, but I wouldnt say he’s widely-known in the UK, more niche. Superbowl show coming up, assuming Trump doesnt find a way to get him banned as per MAGA demands, so that might break him in the UK, you never know….
It’s not that the funeral ruined the song for me. I never liked it in the first place. Not sure what would happen if a song I really liked was played at someone’s funeral… Luckily most of my favourite songs aren’t funeral appropriate (though I’ll make sure they’re played at mine!)
Oh man…sorry about that memory. You can’t or won’t ever get that out of your head. That is just terrible. The song is too slow and doesn’t go anywhere.
Luckily I never liked the song, so it didn’t spoil it for me!