Knockin' on Heaven's Door

"Knockin' on Heaven's Door"
Single by Bob Dylan
from the album Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid
B-side "Turkey Chase"
Released July 13, 1973
Recorded February 1973
Genre Folk rock, gospel
Length 2:32
Label Columbia
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)

"Knockin' on Heaven's Door" is a song written and sung by Bob Dylan, for the soundtrack of the 1973 film Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid. Released as a single, it reached No. 12 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart. Described by Dylan biographer Clinton Heylin as "an exercise in splendid simplicity",[1] the song, in terms of the number of other artists who have covered it, is one of Dylan's most popular post-1960s compositions.

Members of the Western Writers of America chose it as one of the Top 100 Western songs of all time.[2]

Chart history

Cover versions

Eric Clapton version

In January 1975 Eric Clapton played on Jamaican singer Arthur Louis' recording of "Knockin' on Heaven's Door" arranged in a reggae style. Subsequently, Clapton recorded his own reggae-style version of the song which was released in August 1975, two weeks after Louis's version was released as a single in July 1975.[13] Clapton's single peaked at No. 38 in the UK Singles Chart. The single was less successful in the US, only reaching No. 109 in Cash Box. Clapton's 1996 boxed set Crossroads 2: Live in the Seventies features a performance recorded in London in April 1977. The song was also performed during the Journeyman and One More Car, One More Rider world tours in 1990 and 2003. Additionally, the song has been included on several Clapton compilation albums, such as Time Pieces: The Best of Eric Clapton, Backtrackin', The Cream of Clapton and Complete Clapton.[14]

Guns N' Roses versions

"Knockin' on Heaven's Door"
Song by Guns N' Roses
from the album Days of Thunder (soundtrack)
Released June 26, 1990
Genre Hard rock, blues rock
Length 5:36
Label Geffen
Songwriter(s) Bob Dylan
Producer(s)
"Knockin' on Heaven's Door"
1992 UK picture sleeve
Single by Guns N' Roses
from the album Use Your Illusion II
Released 1992
Genre Hard rock, blues rock
Length 5:30
Label Geffen
Songwriter(s) Bob Dylan
Producer(s)
Guns N' Roses singles chronology
"Live and Let Die"
(1991)		 "Knockin' on Heaven's Door"
(1992)		 "November Rain"
(1992)

In 1987, Guns N' Roses started including the song in their live sets. A live version of the song was released on the maxi-single of "Welcome to the Jungle" the same year. They recorded a studio version in 1990 for the soundtrack of the film Days of Thunder which reached No. 18 on the Billboard Album Rock Tracks chart in 1990. This version was later slightly modified for the 1991 album Use Your Illusion II (basically discarding the responses in the second verse). Released as the fourth 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 Belgium and the Netherlands. 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.[15] The music video for this version of the song was directed by Andy Morahan.[16]

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (1992) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[17] 12
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[18] 3
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[19] 1
Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)[20] 7
France (SNEP)[21] 7
Germany (Official German Charts)[22] 5
Ireland (IRMA)[23] 1
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[24] 1
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[25] 1
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[26] 2
Norway (VG-lista)[27] 6
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[28] 10
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[29] 5
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[30] 2
US Mainstream Rock (Billboard)[31] 18

Year-end charts

Chart (1992) Position
Australia (ARIA)[32] 35
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[33] 9
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[34] 5
Germany (Official German Charts)[35] 9
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[36] 1
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[37] 20
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[38] 8

Certifications

Region Certification
Australia (ARIA)[39] Gold
Italy (FIMI)[40] Platinum

Dunblane tribute

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.[41][42] This version of the song, including children from the village singing the chorus with guitarist and producer of Dylan's album Infidels (1983), Mark Knopfler, was released on December 9 in the UK and reached No. 1 on the UK Singles Chart and Scottish Singles Chart.[43][44] The proceeds went to charities for children.[45] The song was featured on the compilation album Hits 97, where all royalties from the song were given to three separate charities.

Sampled version

Gabrielle's single "Rise" (2000) sampled from this song.

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
Total Balalaika Show 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 Scoob Serious
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[46]
The 100 2015 RAIGN
Sense8 (episode 9, "Death Doesn't Let You Say Goodbye") 2015 Antony & the Johnsons
Containment, episode 5, "Like a Sheep Among Wolves" 2016 RAIGN
Misty[47] 2018 KLANG

Nick Talevski used the title for his book, Knocking On Heaven's Door: Rock Obituaries.[48]

The title is used as the name of Rohan Kishibe's Stand, "Heaven's Door", in the fourth part of the manga "Jojo's Bizarre Adventure", Diamond is Unbreakable.

Covered by The Jenerators, the song was used during a tribute to the death of cast member Miguel Ferrer of NCIS: Los Angeles at the end of the Season 8 Episode 16 "New Tricks", broadcast on March 5, 2017. Ferrer was a member of The Jenerators.[49]

References

  1. ↑ Heylin, Clinton (2009). Revolution in the Air: The Songs of Bob Dylan, 1957-1973. Chicago Review Press. p. 434.
  2. ↑ Western Writers of America (2010). "The Top 100 Western Songs". American Cowboy. Archived from the original on 10 August 2014.
  3. ↑ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970-1992. St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  4. ↑ "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. Missing or empty |url= (help); |access-date= requires |url= (help)
  5. ↑ "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. 1973-12-01. Retrieved 2017-04-04.
  6. ↑ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Knockin' on Heaven's Door". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved June 22, 2017.
  7. ↑ Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955-1990 - ISBN 0-89820-089-X
  8. ↑ Whitburn, Joel (1993). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961–1993. Record Research. p. 77.
  9. ↑ Cash Box Top 100 Singles, November 10, 1973
  10. ↑ "Forum - 1970 (ARIA Charts: Special Occasion Charts)". Australian-charts.com. Archived from the original on 2016-06-02. Retrieved 2017-05-07.
  11. ↑ Canada, Library and Archives (July 8, 2017). "Image : RPM Weekly".
  12. ↑ Whitburn, Joel (1999). Pop Annual. Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin: Record Research Inc. ISBN 0-89820-142-X.
  13. ↑ Schumacher, Michael. Crossroads: The Life and Music of Eric Clapton. Hyperion Press. p. 373.
  14. ↑ "Eric Clapton discography". allmusic.com. Retrieved 2010-05-10.
  15. ↑ "Gun N' Roses discography". allmusic.com. Retrieved 2010-05-10.
  16. ↑ Garcia, Alex S. "mvdbase.com - Guns 'n' Roses - "Knockin' on Heaven's door [live]"". Music Video DataBase. Retrieved November 2, 2015.
  17. ↑ "Australian-charts.com – Guns N' Roses – Knockin' On Heaven's Door". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved March 13, 2017.
  18. ↑ "Austriancharts.at – Guns N' Roses – Knockin' On Heaven's Door" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved March 13, 2017.
  19. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Guns N' Roses – Knockin' On Heaven's Door" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved March 13, 2017.
  20. ↑ Pennanen, Timo. Sisältää hitin: levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972. Otava Publishing Company Ltd, 2003. ISBN 951-1-21053-X
  21. ↑ "Lescharts.com – Guns N' Roses – Knockin' On Heaven's Door" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved March 13, 2017.
  22. ↑ "Offiziellecharts.de – Guns N' Roses – Knockin' On Heaven's Door". GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved March 13, 2017.
  23. ↑ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Knockin' on Heaven's Door". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved March 13, 2017.
  24. ↑ "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 27, 1992" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40 Retrieved June 9, 2018.
  25. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – Guns N' Roses – Knockin' On Heaven's Door" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved March 13, 2017.
  26. ↑ "Charts.nz – Guns N' Roses – Knockin' On Heaven's Door". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved March 13, 2017.
  27. ↑ "Norwegiancharts.com – Guns N' Roses – Knockin' On Heaven's Door". VG-lista. Retrieved March 13, 2017.
  28. ↑ "Swedishcharts.com – Guns N' Roses – Knockin' On Heaven's Door". Singles Top 100. Retrieved March 13, 2017.
  29. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – Guns N' Roses – Knockin' On Heaven's Door". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved March 13, 2017.
  30. ↑ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved March 13, 2017.
  31. ↑ "Guns N' Roses Chart History (Mainstream Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved March 13, 2017.
  32. ↑ "ARIA Charts - End Of Year Charts - Top 50 Singles 1992". ARIA. Retrieved June 9, 2018.
  33. ↑ "JAHRESHITPARADE 1992" (in German). Archived from the original on September 3, 2011. Retrieved June 9, 2018.
  34. ↑ "Jaaroverzichten 1992" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Retrieved June 9, 2018.
  35. ↑ "Top 100 Single-Jahrescharts" (in German). GfK Entertainment. Retrieved June 9, 2018.
  36. ↑ "JAAROVERZICHTEN - Single 1992" (in Dutch). MegaCharts. Retrieved June 9, 2018.
  37. ↑ "End of Year Charts 1992". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved December 3, 2017.
  38. ↑ "SWISS YEAR-END CHARTS 1992" (in German). Retrieved June 9, 2018.
  39. ↑ Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988-2010. Mt. Martha, VIC, Australia: Moonlight Publishing.
  40. ↑ "Italian single certifications – Guns N' Roses – Knockin' On Heaven's Door" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved March 13, 2017.
  41. ↑ "Dunblane Knockin' on Heaven's Door". bannockburnband.co.uk. Retrieved 2010-08-25.
  42. ↑ "Dunblane against Guns". 1997-01-01. Retrieved 2010-08-25.
  43. ↑ "Official Singles Chart Top 100 15 December 1996 - 21 December 1996". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 29 June 2018.
  44. ↑ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100 15 December 1996 - 21 December 1996". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 29 June 2018.
  45. ↑ "Knockin' On Heaven's Door CD". BBC. Retrieved 2010-08-25.
  46. ↑ "Blue Bloods Music - S4E7: "Drawing Dead"". TuneFind. Retrieved 2016-09-07.
  47. ↑ "미스티 Special OST (Misty Special OST)". Melon. kakao M Corporation.
  48. ↑ Televski, Nick, Knocking On Heaven’s Door: Rock Obituaries, Omnibus Press, London 2006
  49. ↑ http://www.tvguide.com/news/ncis-la-recap-granger-miguel-ferrer/
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