Knockin' on Heaven's Door

"Knockin' on Heaven's Door" is a song by 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 release, 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 Guns N' Roses, Eric Clapton, Randy Crawford and more. Described by Dylan biographer Clinton Heylin as "an exercise in splendid simplicity",[1] the song features two verses, each of which represent the film's title characters and American frontier legends Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid.

"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
GenreCountry rock, gospel
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)

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

Charts

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[12] Silver 200,000

sales+streaming figures based on certification alone

Other Bob Dylan versions

The song has featured on many of 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

Avril Lavigne version

Canadian singer-songwriter Avril Lavigne recorded the cover of the song in 2003. The cover was used in soundtracks of Unity (The Official Athens 2004 Olympic Games Album) and Warchild: Hope.

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.[13] Clapton's version made it to No. 38 on the UK charts,[14] 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[15]). 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.[16]

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
ReleasedMay 18, 1992
GenreHard rock
Length5:30
LabelGeffen
Songwriter(s)Bob Dylan
Producer(s)
  • Mike Clink
  • Guns N' Roses
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 performing the song. A live version of the song was released on the maxi-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. 3 on Poland's LP3 chart. This version was slightly modified for the 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 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.[17] The music video for this version of the song was directed by Andy Morahan.[18]

Charts

Weekly charts
Chart (1990) Peak
position
Canada Top Singles (RPM)[19] 56
Poland (LP3)[20] 3
US Mainstream Rock (Billboard)[21] 18
Chart (1992) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[22] 12
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[23] 3
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[24] 1
Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)[25] 3
Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)[26] 7
France (SNEP)[27] 7
Germany (Official German Charts)[28] 5
Ireland (IRMA)[29] 1
Italy (Musica e dischi)[30] 9
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[31] 1
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[32] 1
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[33] 2
Norway (VG-lista)[34] 6
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[35] 10
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[36] 5
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[37] 2

Year-end charts
Chart (1992) Position
Australia (ARIA)[38] 35
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[39] 9
Belgium (Ultratop)[40] 5
Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)[41] 13
Germany (Official German Charts)[42] 9
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[43] 1
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[44] 20
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[45] 8
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[46] 34

Decade-end charts
Chart (1990–1999) Position
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[47] 26

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[48] Gold 35,000^
Germany (BVMI)[49] Gold 250,000^
Italy (FIMI)[50] Platinum 50,000
Netherlands (NVPI)[51] Platinum 75,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[52] Silver 200,000

^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)
Format
  • CD
  • cassette
Recorded1996
StudioAbbey Road Studios, London
GenreBlues rock
Length4:09
LabelBMG, RCA
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.[53][54]

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 in the United Kingdom and reached No. 1 on the UK and Scottish Singles Charts,[55][56] as well as number six in Iceland and Ireland.[57][58] The proceeds went to charities for children.[59] The song was featured on the compilation album Hits 97, where all royalties from the song were given to three separate charities.[60]

Charts

Weekly charts
Chart (1996–1997) Peak
position
Iceland (Íslenski Listinn Topp 40)[57] 6
Ireland (IRMA)[58] 6
Scotland (Official Charts Company)[56] 1
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[55] 1

Year-end charts
Chart (1996) Position
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[61] 31
Chart (1997) Position
Iceland (Íslenski Listinn Topp 40)[62] 97

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[63] Platinum 600,000^

^shipments figures based on certification alone

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.[64]

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 (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 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[65]
The 100 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
Misty[66] 2018 KLANG

References
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  2. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970-1992. St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
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