Mariah released “Hero” as the second single from her Music Box album on October 19, 1993. A year earlier, she was approached to write a song for Gloria Estefan to record for the 1992 Hero motion picture soundtrack. The label executives, upon hearing the song, thought it would be better for Mariah to keep it and release it herself. “So many people tell me that ‘Hero’ has changed their lives and I have performed it at so many different charitable events like Live 8 and A Tribute to Heroes and countless others,” Mariah said in 2009. “It's one of those songs that I will always enjoy singing. Someone telling you something helped them through a difficult period of time in their life… there's nothing like that feeling.”
“Hero” became one of Mariah's signature songs and her eighth number-one single in the United States, topping the Billboard Hot 100 chart for four consecutive weeks. On August 31, 2023, it was certified 3x Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America. Outside the US, “Hero” became Mariah's fourth Top 10 single in the United Kingdom, where it peaked at number seven, and her biggest hit at the time in Australia, where it spent nine consecutive weeks inside the Top 10 and was certified 2x Platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association on September 16, 2019.
Mariah recorded a Spanish version of “Hero,” adapted by Jorge Luis Piloto, titled “Héroe,” that was included on Spanish and Latin American re-editions of Music Box and saw a digital release on September 4, 2020, as part of the Mariah En Español EP.
A new studio version of “Hero” was recorded to promote her new The Ballads compilation in 2009. This version of the song became available exclusively on Mariah's Amazon Store in 2009, and was later included as a bonus track on the 30th Anniversary Edition of her Music Box album, which became available on September 8, 2023.
| Song | Remix | Run time |
|---|---|---|
| Hero | 2009 Version
|
4:18 |
| Héroe | Spanish Version
|
4:16 |
Mariah Carey's performance of “Hero” from her 1993 TV special Here Is Mariah Carey, taped at the Proctor's Theatre, was used as the song's music video.
A short clip of Mariah performing “Hero” with her band at an empty Proctor's Theatre was included in her Here Is Mariah Carey home video release. It is unknown whether this footage was intended for a music video for the song and they decided to use the live version instead.
The music video for the 2009 version of “Hero,” which shows Mariah recording the song in the studio and behind the scenes footage, was directed by Kristian Ranker and premiered in January 2009.
In the United States, the “Hero” Single was available on Cassette, including the previously-unreleased song “Everything Fades Away.” The Maxi Single, issued on CD, also includes the live version of “Hero” from Mariah's concert at Proctor's Theater and the Club Joint Mix of “Dreamlover.”
The European “Hero” single, available on CD, Cassette and 7" Vinyl, includes both the Album and Live versions of the song. The Maxi Single was released on CD including “Hero” and three “Dreamlover” remixes: Def Club Edit, Theo's Club Joint and Def Tribal Mix. “Hero” was also released on 12" vinyl, including the song and two remixes of “Dreamlover,” produced by Mariah and David Morales: USA Love Dub and Def Club Mix.
In the United Kingdom, “Hero” was released on October 25, 1993. The Single was issued on Cassette and 7" Vinyl, including the Album Version and the Live Version of the song. The Maxi Single was released on CD including “Hero” and three “Dreamlover” remixes: Def Club Edit, Theo's Club Joint and Def Tribal Mix. “Hero” was also released on 12" vinyl, including the song and two “Dreamlover” remixes: USA Love Dub and Def Club Mix.
In Australia, the Maxi Single for “Hero” was issued on CD and Cassette, including the Album and Live versions of the song, the previously-unreleased “Everything Fades Away” and the Club Joint Mix of “Dreamlover.”
The Japanese “Hero” Single, available on 3" CD, became available on November 18, 1993, including “Everything Fades Away” as a bonus track. A Picture CD Maxi Single was released on December 23, 1993, with two additional tracks: the live version of “Hero” and the Club Joint Mix of “Dreamlover.”
Retailer Urban Outfitters released a 7" vinyl single of “Hero” in November 2023 as part of their S11ngles Day campaign. The single, pressed on a limited run of 3000 units on sunflower-colored vinyl, includes the Album Version of “Hero,” as well as “Héroe,” the Spanish Version of the song.
There's a hero
If you look inside your heart
You don't have to be afraid
Of what you are
If you reach into your soul
And the sorrow that you know
Will melt away
And then a hero comes along
With the strength to carry on
And you cast your fears aside
And you know you can survive
So when you feel like hope is gone
Look inside you and be strong
And you'll finally see the truth
That a hero lies in you
It's a long road
When you face the world alone
No one reaches out a hand
For you to hold
You can find love
If you search within yourself
And the emptiness you felt
Will disappear
And then a hero comes along
With the strength to carry on
And you cast your fears aside
And you know you can survive
So when you feel like hope is gone
Look inside you and be strong
And you'll finally see the truth
That a hero lies in you
Lord knows
Dreams are hard to follow
But don't let anyone
Tear them away
Hold on
There will be tomorrow
In time
You'll find the way
And then a hero comes along
With the strength to carry on
And you cast your fears aside
And you know you can survive
So when you feel like hope is gone
Look inside you and be strong
And you'll finally see the truth
That a hero lies in you
Lyrics: Mariah Carey. Music: Mariah Carey, Walter Afanasieff.
Produced by Walter Afanasieff and Mariah Carey.
Como un libro
Que no sabes el final
Y te asusta lo que lees
Así la vida es
Cuando naces
Ya te expones al dolor
Y de a poco y con valor
Logras crecer
Y como un libro el corazón
Nos enseña que hay temor
Que hay fracasos y maldad
Que hay batallas que ganar
Y en cada página el amor
Nos convierte en luchador
Y descubres lo común
No hay un héroe como tú
Son muy pocos
Que se arriesgan por amor
Pero tú tienes la fe
Y eso lo es todo
No decaigas
Que vivir es aprender
Y no hay nada que temer
Si crees en ti
Y como un libro el corazón
Nos enseña que hay temor
Que hay fracasos y maldad
Que hay batallas que ganar
Y en cada página el amor
Nos convierte en luchador
Y descubres lo común
No hay un héroe como tú
Sólo Dios
Sabe donde y cuando
La vida nos dirá
Lo has hecho bien
Sólo
Con un sueño sólo
Sabrás
Cómo vencer
Y como un libro el corazón
Nos enseña que hay temor
Que hay fracasos y maldad
Que hay batallas que ganar
Y en cada página el amor
Nos convierte en luchador
Y descubres lo común
No hay un héroe como tú
No hay un héroe como tú
Lyrics: Mariah Carey. Music: Mariah Carey, Walter Afanasieff.
Spanish adaptation: Jorge Luis Piloto.
Produced by Walter Afanasieff and Mariah Carey.
