| "Never Too Far/Hero Medley" | ||||
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| Single byMariah Carey | ||||
| B-side | "There for Me" | |||
| Released | December 11, 2001 | |||
| Recorded | 2001 | |||
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| Genre | ||||
| Length | 4:48 | |||
| Label | Virgin | |||
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| Mariah Carey singles chronology | ||||
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"Never Too Far/Hero Medley" is amedley recorded by American singer-songwriterMariah Carey, released as acharity single on December 11, 2001 byVirgin Records in the US. It is also included as a bonus track in the Japanese release of Carey'sGreatest Hits (2001). The medley combines the first verse and chorus of "Never Too Far", written by Carey andJimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, with a re-recorded version of the first verse, chorus andbridge of "Hero", written by Carey andWalter Afanasieff. The song was produced by Carey, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, andRandy Jackson. The single was meant to express a message of unity and love in the aftermath of theSeptember 11 attacks.
Though Carey did not promoteGlitter (2001), due to her hospitalization, she embarked on a short promotional tour for the single, and attended several charitable events. Carey performed the medley live at the 2001Radio Music Awards, British music programTop of the Pops, theUnited We Stand: What More Can I Give concert benefit, and her own special titled,At Home For The Holidays With Mariah Carey. Following the single's release, the song managed to attain a peak position of number eighty-one on theBillboard Hot 100, in light of all of Carey's live appearances. Though promoted throughout Europe, the single was never given an official release outside the United States, therefore failing to chart in any other significant global music market. This would be Carey's last single with Virgin.
Following the weak commercial success ofGlitter (2001), her debut release underVirgin Records, Carey suffered an emotional and physical breakdown, followed by an extended hospitalization.[2] Carey composed a charity single in which all proceeds would go towards helping rebuild America, following the terrorist attacks.[3] Consequently, she re-recorded her 1993 song "Hero", and made a medley of it with a single fromGlitter, "Never Too Far".[2] The song features a different instrumental introduction, and begins with the first verse and chorus of "Never Too Far", and blends into thebridge of "Hero".[3] Carey had co-written "Never Too Far" withJimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, and "Hero" withWalter Afanasieff, thus all four writers are credited for the medley. Soon-to-beAmerican Idol judgeRandy Jackson assisted Carey, Jam, and Lewis in the song's production.[2] In an interview withMTV, Carey described the single and its conception:
"I started doing different charity events where I did a combination of 'Never Too Far' and 'Hero'. We made it into a medley and put them in the same key and made it work. People responded really well to it. It's been interesting for me, since the events of September 11, the way people have been playing 'Hero' and really even talking to me about 'Never Too Far', 'cause that song is also about loss. I figured that it would be a nice thing to do, to put them both out for Christmas. There's also an unreleased track on the B-side, which is called 'There for Me' which kind of has the same sentiment. The proceeds from 'Never Too Far' and 'Hero' and 'There for Me' are going to go to the Heroes Fund, and it's going to benefit police officers' families, relief workers' families."[3]
The song'sB-side, titled "There For Me", was a leftover track from Carey'sRainbow (1999), which she wrote alongsideDavid Foster andDiane Warren.[4] After Carey abandoned work with longtime collaborator Walter Afanasieff, she began working with Foster throughoutRainbow.[4] During their many creative meetings, Foster introduced Carey to Warren, asongwriter with whom he had collaborated several times in the past.[4] Throughout the process of writing and producing the song, the female pair did not work well with each other, as Carey accused Warren of repeating lyrical phrases too often, while Warren did not agree with some of Carey's production choices.[4] After they completed the song, Carey wrote two other ballads with Warren forRainbow, entitled "After Tonight" and "Can't Take That Away (Mariah's Theme)".[4] In 2024, the song was included on the 25th anniversary edition ofRainbow.[5]
"Never Too Far/Hero" is amid-tempoballad, drawing influence frompop andR&B music genres.[6] The song was written and produced by Carey and Walter Afanasieff,Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis andRandy Jackson.[2] It incorporates music from several musical instruments, including thepiano,guitar andorgan.[7] According to the sheet music published at Musicnotes.com byAlfred Music Publishing, the song is set incommon time with a moderatetempo of 62beats per minute.[7] It is composed in the key ofC major with Carey's vocal range spanning from the low-note of D3 to the high-note of A6.[7] The song'schorus has a basicchord progression of Gsus2–G–G/F♯–Em7–G/D–C-G/B–Am7.[8]
While "Hero" describes the hidden power inside each individual, "Never Too Far" encourages those who are doubtful over their very existence, and how through perseverance, one can see that nothing is ever 'too far away'.[6] With both songs combined, the single gives over a supportive message, for those who are either looking for meaning in life, or just doubting their own worth and ability.[6] During a show on Carey'sThe Adventures of Mimi Tour, she described the meaning "Hero" had to her and her fans:
"I wrote a song a while back even before 'One Sweet Day' and it was not my favorite song in the world, but I wrote it. Someone asked me to write a song and they told me the story, and you know it was kind of a moving concept or whatever.
And I did it, and I was like you know it's not necessarily what I like per se, but after doing the song over and over again, and having people coming up to and saying, 'Thank you for writing 'Hero' because it saved my life or it saved my father's life, or my brother's, or sister's life,' or something of that nature, I said I always have to sing that song when I'm performing, because if I don't, you never know who I'm leaving out.
And you know what, in times of my life I've had to turn to that song lyrically, and flip it onto my own life and sing it to myself. So it's from theMusic Box album, and it's called 'Hero', this is for you."[9]
Elysa Gardner fromUSA Today called "Never Too Far/Hero" a "refreshing medley" and felt it would easily be accepted among Carey's other popular and heartfelt inspirational ballads.[6] The medley was only given a commercial release in the United States. Though "Hero" (a single from Carey's albumMusic Box) had gone to number-one on the USBillboard Hot 100, "Never Too Far" (a single fromGlitter) had failed to chart.[10] "Never Too Far/Hero Medley" performed marginally better, peaking at number eighty-one and remaining on the chart for three weeks, however still not delivering the kind of success Carey was accustomed to prior toGlitter.[10] The charity single was released to help victims of theSeptember 11 attacks, with all proceeds from the sales of the single going towards the Heroes Fund, a charity benefit for victims of the attacks and their families, police officers, and relief workers.[3]
Though having not promotedGlitter during the time of its release, due to her breakdown and subsequent hospitalization, Carey embarked on a short promotional campaign for the single, as well as charity benefits for theSeptember 11 attacks victims. At the 2001Radio Music Awards, Carey made her second public appearance following her breakdown, the first being a performance of "Hero" at theAmerica: A Tribute to Heroes telethon on September 21, 2001.[11] Entering the stage in a long black evening gown, Carey performed the medley live, followed by a standing ovation from the audience.[11] On October 21, 2001, a benefit titledUnited We Stand: What More Can I Give was held atRobert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium inWashington, D.C., accompanied by the charity single "What More Can I Give", in which Carey participated.[12] Carey donned a black open-back dress with a plunging neckline, and performed "Never Too Far/Hero", followed by a live rendition of "What More Can I Give".[13]
On November 16, 2001, Carey taped a special titledA Home For The Holidays With Mariah Carey, which aired on December 21 of that same year. The special featured additional performances byDestiny's Child,Josh Groban,Enrique Iglesias andMandy Moore.[14] Carey opened the special, with a performance of "Never Too Far/Hero" while wearing a form-fitting red evening gown.[15] Aside from the single, Carey performed "I'll Be There" and "Reflections (Care Enough)", a single fromGlitter.[15] Following stateside promotion of the charity single, Carey performed it alongsideWestlife on the British music chart program,Top of the Pops.[16][17]
US 2-track CD single[18]
Credits adapted from theGreatest Hits liner notes.[1]
| Chart (2001) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| USBillboard Hot 100[10] | 81 |
| USHot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[19] | 66 |
| Region | Date | Format(s) | Label(s) | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | December 11, 2001 | CD | Virgin |
