The Song That Reached My Closed-off Heart: Mariah Carey’s “Hero”

What’s a song that changed your life?
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Flashback To September 1997

I was 27 when I first heard a song that finally gave voice to the emotional pain I couldn’t put into words.

This profound realization came during a 28-day stay in an addiction treatment program. During the cool-down after an aerobics class, the instructor, Marina, played the song Hero by Mariah Carey.

It was the first time I’d heard it.

As I listened to the lyrics, the concrete wall around my heart briefly cracked, and I began to cry. Deep, aching grief, raw pain, and utter despair surged through me as I sobbed in a tsunami of unstoppable tears.

This song didn’t just change my life—it broke through and, for a moment, opened my tightly closed heart.

Because of that, this song holds—and will always hold—a special place in my heart.

S, 🌻

There's a hero
If you look inside your heart
You don't have to be afraid
Of what you are
There's an answer
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 that 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, oh, oh

Lord knows
Dreams are hard to follow
But don't let anyone
Tear them away, hey yeah 
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
That a hero lies in you
Mmm, that a hero lies in you