Knockin' on Heaven's Door

"Knockin' on Heaven's Door" is a song by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan, written for the soundtrack of the 1973 film Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid. Released as a single two months after the film's premiere, it became a worldwide hit, reaching the Top 10 in several countries. The song became one of Dylan's most popular and most covered post-1960s compositions, spawning covers from Eric Clapton, Guns N' Roses, Randy Crawford and more.

"Knockin' on Heaven's Door"
Single by Bob Dylan
from the album Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid
B-side"Turkey Chase"
ReleasedJuly 13, 1973
RecordedFebruary 1973
Genre
Length2:32
LabelColumbia
Songwriter(s)Bob Dylan
Producer(s)Gordon Carroll
Bob Dylan singles chronology
"George Jackson"
(1971)		 "Knockin' on Heaven's Door"
(1973)		 "A Fool Such as I"
(1973)

Described by Dylan biographer Clinton Heylin as "an exercise in splendid simplicity",[1] the song features two short verses, the lyrics of which comment directly on the scene in the film for which it was written: the death of a frontier lawman (Slim Pickens) who refers to his wife (Katy Jurado) as "Mama".[2]

It was ranked number 190 in 2004 by Rolling Stone magazine, in their 500 Greatest Songs of All Time,[3] and number 192 in 2010.[4]

Musicians
  • Bob Dylan: vocals, guitar[5]
  • Roger McGuinn: guitar[5]
  • Jim Keltner: drums[5]
  • Terry Paul: bass[5]
  • Carl Fortina: harmonium[5]
  • Carol Hunter: backing vocals[5]
  • Donna Weiss: backing vocals[5]
  • Brenda Patterson: backing vocals[5]

Charts

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Italy (FIMI)[20] Platinum 70,000
United Kingdom (BPI)[21] Silver 200,000

Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Other Bob Dylan versions

According to his website, Dylan has performed the song in concert 460 times between its live debut in 1974 and its last outing in 2003.[22] Some of these versions have appeared on Dylan's live and Bootleg Series albums including:

  • Before the Flood
  • Bob Dylan at Budokan
  • Dylan & the Dead
  • The 30th Anniversary Concert Celebration
  • MTV Unplugged
  • Thirty-Nine Years of Great Concert Performances
  • The Rolling Thunder Revue

Eric Clapton and Arthur Louis versions

In January 1975 Eric Clapton played on Arthur Louis's recording of "Knockin' on Heaven's Door" which was arranged in a cross-over reggae style. After the recording sessions with Louis, Clapton recorded his own version of the song which was released as a single in August 1975 two weeks after Louis's version.[23] Clapton's version made it to No. 38 on the UK charts,[24] but the single was less successful in the U.S where it failed to chart on the Billboard Hot 100 (although it reached on No. 109 on Cash Box's Looking Ahead chart[25]). Clapton's 1996 boxed set Crossroads 2: Live in the Seventies features a performance of the song recorded in London in April 1977. There were also performances of the song included on the Journeyman (1990) and the One More Car, One More Rider (2003) world tours. Several Clapton compilation albums also feature the song.[26]

Guns N' Roses versions
"Knockin' on Heaven's Door"
Song by Guns N' Roses
from the album Days of Thunder (soundtrack)
ReleasedJune 26, 1990
GenreHard rock
Length5:36
LabelGeffen
Songwriter(s)Bob Dylan
Producer(s)
  • Mike Clink
  • Guns N' Roses
"Knockin' on Heaven's Door"
1992 UK picture sleeve
Single by Guns N' Roses
from the album Use Your Illusion II
B-side"Knockin' on Heavens Door" (live)
ReleasedMay 11, 1992 (1992-05-11)[27]
GenreHard rock
Length5:36
LabelGeffen
Songwriter(s)Bob Dylan
Producer(s)
  • Mike Clink
  • Guns N' Roses
Guns N' Roses singles chronology
"November Rain"
(1992)		 "Knockin' on Heaven's Door"
(1992)		 "Yesterdays"
(1992)

In 1987, American hard rock band Guns N' Roses started performing the song. A live version of the song was released on the 12-inch single of "Welcome to the Jungle" the same year. They recorded and released a studio version in 1990 for the soundtrack of the film Days of Thunder that reached No. 18 on the US Billboard Album Rock Tracks chart and No. 56 on Canada's RPM Top Singles chart.

This studio recording was slightly modified for the band's 1991 album Use Your Illusion II, discarding the responses in the second verse. Released as the second single from the album, it reached No. 2 on the UK Singles Chart and the New Zealand Singles Chart. Elsewhere, the single topped the charts of Portugal, Belgium, and the Netherlands; it was the best-selling song of 1992 in the latter country. In Ireland, where the song also reached No. 1, it became Guns N' Roses' third (and to date last) number-one single as well as their ninth consecutive top-five hit.

Their performance of the song at the Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert in 1992 was used as the B-side for the single release and was also included on their Live Era: '87–'93 album, released in 1999.[28] Another version was released on the video Use Your Illusion World Tour - 1992 in Tokyo II. The music video for this version of the song was directed by Andy Morahan.[29]

Personnel

Guns N' Roses

  • W. Axl Rose – lead vocals
  • Slash – lead guitar
  • Izzy Stradlin – rhythm guitar
  • Duff McKagan – bass
  • Matt Sorum – drums
  • Dizzy Reed – piano

Guest musicians

  • The Waters – backing vocals

Charts

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[50] Gold 35,000^
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[61] Gold 45,000
Germany (BVMI)[62] Gold 250,000^
Italy (FIMI)[63] Platinum 50,000
Netherlands (NVPI)[64] Platinum 75,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[65] Gold 400,000

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.
Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Dunblane tribute
"Knockin' on Heaven's Door"
Single by Dunblane
A-side"Throw These Guns Away"
ReleasedDecember 9, 1996 (1996-12-09)[66]
Recorded1996
StudioAbbey Road (London, UK)
Length4:09
Label
Songwriter(s)
  • Bob Dylan
  • Ted Christopher
Producer(s)Peter Cobbin

In 1996 and with the consent of Dylan, Scottish musician Ted Christopher wrote a new verse for "Knockin' on Heaven's Door" in memory of the schoolchildren and teacher killed in the Dunblane school massacre. This has been, according to some sources, one of the few times Dylan has officially authorized anybody to add or change the lyrics to one of his songs.[67][68]

This version of the song, featuring children from the village singing the chorus with the guitarist and producer of Dylan's album Infidels (1983), Mark Knopfler, was released on December 9, 1996, in the United Kingdom and reached No. 1 on the UK and Scottish Singles Charts,[69][70] as well as No. 6 in Iceland and Ireland.[71][72] The proceeds went to charities for children.[73] The song was featured on the compilation album Hits 97, where all royalties from the song were given to three charities.[74]

Weekly charts
Chart (1996–1997) Peak
position
Iceland (Íslenski Listinn Topp 40)[71] 6
Ireland (IRMA)[72] 6
Scotland (OCC)[70] 1
UK Singles (OCC)[69] 1

Year-end charts
Chart (1996) Position
UK Singles (OCC)[75] 31
Chart (1997) Position
Iceland (Íslenski Listinn Topp 40)[76] 97

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[77] Platinum 600,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Other notable versions

"Knockin' on Heaven's Door" has been covered by over 150 artists.[78] In addition to the versions already mentioned above, other notable covers include those by Neil Young, Lana Del Rey, Nick Cave, Patti Smith, Paul Simon, Bono, Antony and the Johnsons, Warren Zevon, Cat Power, Roger Waters, Tanya Donelly, Jerry Garcia, Avril Lavigne, Wyclef Jean, Television, Nina Hagen, Mudcrutch and Low.

Sampled version

Gabrielle's single "Rise" (2000) sampled from this song. Dylan liked "Rise" so much that he allowed Gabrielle to use the sample for free, while receiving a co-writer credit for providing the song's chord progression and vocal sample.[79]

Soundtrack inclusions
Film/TV show Year Performer
Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid 1973 Bob Dylan
Renaldo & Clara 1978 Bob Dylan & Roger McGuinn
Lethal Weapon 2 1989 Randy Crawford, Eric Clapton & David Sanborn
Days of Thunder 1990 Guns N' Roses
Shake Rattle & Roll 2 (segment "Aswang") 1990 Guns N' Roses
Rush 1991 Bob Dylan
Cold Water 1994 Bob Dylan
Total Balalaika Show (Soundtrack) 1994 Leningrad Cowboys and Alexandrov Ensemble
Lawn Dogs 1997 Bob Dylan
The Dybbuk of the Holy Apple Field 1997 Roger Waters
Knockin' on Heaven's Door 1997 Selig
Treasure Planet 2002 Bob Dylan
Windstruck 2004 Youme
Be Cool 2005 Bob Dylan
Las Vegas (episode 45, "Letters, Lawyers and Loose Women") 2005 Bob Dylan
Six Feet Under (episode 61, "All Alone") 2005 Bob Dylan
ER (episode 260, "Darfur") 2006 Jerry Garcia
Salvador (Puig Antich) 2006 Bob Dylan
I'm Not There 2007 Antony & the Johnsons
Supernatural (episode 35, "Houses of the Holy") 2007 Bob Dylan
Cold Case (episode 84, "Blood on the Tracks") 2007 Bob Dylan
Big Love (episode 2-08, "Kingdom Come") 2007 Bob Dylan
My Name is Earl 2008 Bob Dylan
Come Dio Comanda 2008 Antony & the Johnsons
Heaven's Door 2009 Angela Aki
Supernatural (episode 98, "Dark Side of the Moon") 2010 Bob Dylan
Lifted 2011 Uriah Shelton
Blue Bloods (Season 4, Episode 7, "Drawing Dead") 2013 Rick Devin[80]
The 100 (Season 2, ep. 16, "Blood Must Have Blood: Part 2") 2015 RAIGN
Sense8 (season 1, ep. 9, "Death Doesn't Let You Say Goodbye") 2015 Antony & the Johnsons
Containment, episode 5, "Like a Sheep Among Wolves" 2016 RAIGN
NCIS: Los Angeles (S8E15, "Old Tricks") 2017 The Jenerators
The Vampire Diaries S8E14 ‘It’s Been A Hell Of A Ride’ 2017 Chris Wood
Misty[81] 2018 KLANG

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