" Hero " has a meaning of love and assurance with a desire to be a hero for the love of a woman . 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 . " " Hero " was first released on 3 September 2001 , just eight days prior to the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center . 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 '' , which took place on September 21 . His performance was broadcast from a warehouse in New York alongside Bruce Springsteen , Bon Jovi , and Sheryl Crow . 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
September 11 attacks
September 11 attacks
Hero (Enrique Iglesias song)