Hero
Mariah Carey
1994
Annual listening-list association, not an original-release-date field. Original release year reconciled with reviewed recording-specific Artist Essentials evidence in v3.6.
Release: 1993
Release: 1993Source checked | Recent carryover
V3.6 reconciles the original release year with the reviewed Artist Essentials entry for this exact retained recording ID. Year precision is used; an album-first release is not silently replaced by a later single, reissue or annual-list year. The selected original recording is documented on Music Box (1993). Year precision does not substitute a later single, video, remaster or annual-list date.
The large badge identifies this listening list, not a newly issued recording. Later reissues and renewed chart popularity do not replace an original release date. How years are assigned.
Owner-supplied release annotations
Reported dates in 1994.html. Not independently established; neighboring dates can reflect album/single or regional differences.
Music Box - official original album versus anniversary extras
Explicitly separates the original Music Box program, including Dreamlover, Hero, Anytime You Need a Friend and Without You, from later bonus material, the Hero 2009 version and live performances. The original album's 1993 year is supplied independently by the label history.
Mariah Carey original album years - Columbia/Legacy and UMG catalog announcement
The label explicitly separates original album years in parentheses from 2020-2021 reissue dates: debut 1990, Emotions 1991, Unplugged 1992, Music Box 1993, Merry Christmas 1994, Daydream 1995, Butterfly 1997, Rainbow 1999, Charmbracelet 2002, Mimi 2005, E=MC2 2008 and Caution 2018. It also expressly places All I Want for Christmas Is You on the original 1994 holiday album. Recording-session years on The Rarities and new reissue dates are not used for selected-song dates.
Inspiration and background
Supplied note - not independently verified
This note came with the supplied collection and has not been independently verified.
Originally written for Gloria Estefan, Carey was convinced to record it herself.
Evidence scope: Source-provided note, not an established account of the songwriter's intent
Sources for this information
Owner-supplied 1994.html, song-list position 5
Supplied annotation reproduced with attribution; underlying historical claims have NOT been independently verified.
Other appearances and versions
catalog version unspecified
Textual identity reconciliation, not audio-fingerprint or exact-pressing verification. Version labels are catalog safeguards.
An annual chart year and an original release date are different. Similar titles may be covers or different masters; no audio fingerprint has been performed.
Sources and scope
Source-backed annual association (secondary source; not a complete discographic review)
Editorial artist-repertoire classification
Billboard year-end 1994 table (Wikipedia transcription)
Secondary chart transcription reviewed for title, artist and annual association. Not proof of release date, genre or inspiration.
Browse by year
1960-2025. Each year contains 150 selections.