Mariah Carey has had numerous hits over the past few decades, but many fans truly cherished the song "Hero." Let's look back at one of the singer's most popular hits of all time.
According to Chart Data, the musician's track reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1993, meaning it was 29 years ago today.
Per Billboard, the song became Carey's eighth number one in her career. "Hero" got the title after its tenth week on the charts and spent over a month at the top from December 25, 1993, to January 15, 1994.
It didn't last long after four weeks as the song was dethroned by Janet Jackson's "Again."
Throughout its run on the charts, it remained in the top 40 for over 25 weeks and 16 of those are in the top 10.
Aside from being one of Billboard's most successful songs at the time, it also became double-platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America. It sold over two million units around the United States.
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Mariah Carey 'Hero' Meaning
According to Song Facts, the song is about being a hero on her own because she doesn't need rescuing from other people.
In her own words during a promo video for her album, the song revolves around being able to look at one's self and being one's own hero.
People shouldn't be relying on other people to save them as they could save themselves from any situation by "really just having yourself to depend on first and look up to, like being your own role model."
"Hero" was the song where Mariah Carey realized that she was taking over the world with her popularity.
In her 2020 memoir titled "The Meaning of Mariah Carey," the "All I Want For Christmas" hitmaker explained that she was set to perform at a concert in New York as part of NBC's 1993 Thanksgiving special.
At the time, she was shocked to see authorities and barricades around the venue and questioned if there was something bad happening.
She later found out that policemen were preparing for a large crowd who was going to see her that evening.
"It wasn't until that moment in Schenectady that I began to realize the degree of my popularity. I had fans! And soon they would become another source of my strength," she wrote.
