" Hero " became Carey 's eighth chart topper on the US '' Billboard '' Hot 100 . It reached the number one position in its tenth week and spent four weeks at the top , from December 25 , 1993 to January 15 , 1994 . It replaced " Again " by Janet Jackson , and was replaced by Bryan Adams , Rod Stewart and Sting 's " All for Love " . In total , the song remained in the top 40 for 25 weeks , with 16 of those spent in the top ten . On the '' Billboard '' year-end Charts for 1994 , " Hero " finished at number five , number 53 on the decade-end chart and number three on the year-end Airplay Chart . " Hero " has been certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America ( RIAA ) , denoting shipments of over one million units throughout the country . Prior to the song 's recital at Carey 's concert at Madison Square Garden on December 10 , 1993 during her Music Box Tour , she announced that the proceeds from the stateside sales of the single were to be donated to the families of the victims of the 1993 Long Island Rail Road shooting . The song was dedicated to the three men who subdued the shooter on stage that night , three days after the tragedy . Carey was a frequent rider on the LIRR rush hour service out of Penn Station when she lived on Long Island . In Canada , the song debuted at number 64 on the Canadian '' RPM '' Singles Chart during the week of November 6 , 1993 . During the week of December 4 , 1993 , " Hero " reached its peak position of number three , staying there for three consecutive weeks , and a total of 21 weeks within the top 100 . " Hero " finished at numbers 48 and 22 on the Canadian year-end charts for 1993 and 1994
1993 Long Island Rail Road shooting
1993 Long Island Rail Road shooting
Hero (Mariah Carey song)