Mariah Carey Says Inspiration for Hit Song 'Hero' Came in the Bathroom

Mariah Carey was in "the loo" when she was inspired to write "Hero."

The singer says the idea for her hit track came to her while she was using the bathroom.

Carey, 38, said: "Sometimes I wake up and in the middle of the night and have an idea and have to get up and record it straight away before I forget it.

"Or with 'Hero,' I was in the studio and someone was telling me about this film 'Hero' with Dustin Hoffman in it. I took a walk to the loo and when I came back I had this idea for a song, and that was what then became 'Hero.'"

Mariah Carey To Perform At Grammy Nominations Special

Singer Mariah Carey has been added to the lineup of the Grammy Awards nomination special, set for December 3rd at the Nokia Theatre L.A. Live in Los Angeles. The Grammy Nominations Concert Live! -- Countdown To Music's Biggest Night will also feature LL Cool J and Taylor Swift as hosts, and performances by Celine Dion, the Foo Fighters, B.B. King, John Mayer, and Swift.

Carey's most recent recording is E=MC2, which was released in April. The singer has earned five Grammy Awards during her career.

The one-hour special will be broadcast live on CBS-TV at 9 p.m., and will be followed by another live concert special. The official 51st annual Grammy Awards telecast happens February 8th, 2009.

Is Mariah Carey Pregnant?

Does Mariah Carey have something to hide? The typically underdressed star was photographed while vacationing with hubby Nick Cannon in Mexico, and because she's wearing...wait for it!...layers of clothing, gossip hounds are now abuzz over the possibility that Mimi may be with child.

Mariah Carey Strips Down for Christmas

How does Mariah Carey plan to make the season bright for hubby of six months Nick Cannon?

"I always get Santa lingerie, even if nobody sees it," the singer, 39, tells Redbook' for its December issue. "But this year it will be appreciated!"

Stripping down for the holidays is apparently a Carey holiday tradition.

"[My girlfriends and I] go in the hot tub in our Christmas bikinis, then roll in the fresh snow and jump back in," says the songbird, who usually opts for "a red bikini with a Santa hat."

But that doesn't mean she isn't excited about starting her own sweet traditions with Cannon.

"I'm really looking forward to being in love on Christmas," she says. "The holidays are always great, but being in love ... is going to be the icing on the cake."