Songfacts®:

• Composer Alan Menken and lyricist David Zippel wrote this gospel-themed number to celebrate the title character of Disney's Hercules, who is "so hot, he makes steam look cool."
• Menken had a much different idea in mind for the song. He told Entertainment Weekly: "The directors, Ron Clements and John Musker, really wanted gospel because that's what you sing when you're singing about God - or in this case, the gods. I was reluctant because I wanted to do something very classic and Greek - a Candide approach. But it turned out to be so much fun. David Zippel did the lyrics, and we were such an interesting combination because he's like Cole Porter with his wit. 'He can tell you what's a Grecian urn.' Putting smart lyrics with gospel music really created a very unique blend, and the best example of that was on 'Zero to Hero,' which was just this roller coaster of lyrical cleverness."