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 | 1973 | |||
Recorded | 1973 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 2:32 | |||
Label | Columbia | |||
Songwriter(s) | Bob Dylan | |||
Producer(s) | Gordon Carroll | |||
Bob Dylan singles chronology | ||||
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"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.
Described by Dylan biographer Clinton Heylin as "an exercise in splendid simplicity",[2] 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".[3]
It was ranked number 190 in 2004 by Rolling Stone magazine, in their 500 Greatest Songs of All Time,[4] and number 192 in 2010.[5]
Musicians
- Bob Dylan: vocals, guitar[6]
- Roger McGuinn: guitar[6]
- Jim Keltner: drums[6]
- Terry Paul: bass[6]
- Carl Fortina: harmonium[6]
- Carol Hunter: backing vocals[6]
- Donna Weiss: backing vocals[6]
- Brenda Patterson: backing vocals[6]
Charts
Weekly charts
|
Year-end charts
|
Certifications
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Italy (FIMI)[22] | Platinum | 70,000‡ |
United Kingdom (BPI)[23] | 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.
- 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
Guns N' Roses versions
"Knockin' on Heaven's Door" | |
---|---|
Song by Guns N' Roses | |
from the album Days of Thunder (soundtrack) | |
Released | 1990 |
Length | 5:36 |
Label | Geffen |
Songwriter(s) | Bob Dylan |
Producer(s) |
|
"Knockin' on Heaven's Door" | ||||
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Single by Guns N' Roses | ||||
from the album Use Your Illusion II | ||||
B-side | "Knockin' on Heavens Door" (live) | |||
Released | May 11, 1992[29] | |||
Length | 5:36 | |||
Label | Geffen | |||
Songwriter(s) | Bob Dylan | |||
Producer(s) |
| |||
Guns N' Roses singles chronology | ||||
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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 100 Hit Tracks chart.
This studio recording was slightly modified for the band's 1991 album
Their performance of the song at the
Personnel
Guns N' Roses
- 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
Weekly charts
|
Year-end charts
Decade-end charts
|
Certifications
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Australia (ARIA)[52] | Gold | 35,000^ |
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[63] | Gold | 45,000‡ |
Germany (BVMI)[64] | Gold | 250,000^ |
Italy (FIMI)[65] | Platinum | 50,000‡ |
Netherlands (NVPI)[66] | Platinum | 75,000^ |
United Kingdom (BPI)[67] | Gold | 400,000‡ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. |
Dunblane tribute
"Knockin' on Heaven's Door" | |
---|---|
Single by Dunblane | |
A-side | "Throw These Guns Away" |
Released | December 9, 1996[68] |
Recorded | 1996 |
Studio | Abbey Road (London, UK) |
Length | 4:09 |
Label | |
Songwriter(s) |
|
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
This version of the song, featuring children from the village singing the chorus with the guitarist and producer of Dylan's album
Charts
Weekly charts
Chart (1996–1997) | Peak position |
---|---|
Iceland (Íslenski Listinn Topp 40)[73] | 6 |
Ireland (IRMA)[74] | 6 |
1 | |
1 |
Year-end charts
Chart (1996) | Position |
---|---|
UK Singles (OCC)[77] | 31 |
Chart (1997) | Position |
---|---|
Iceland (Íslenski Listinn Topp 40)[78] | 97 |
Certifications
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
United Kingdom (BPI)[79] | 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.[80]
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 |
episode 260, "Darfur" )
|
2006 | Jerry Garcia |
Salvador (Puig Antich)
|
2006 | Bob Dylan |
I'm Not There | 2007 | Antony & the Johnsons
|
episode 35, "Houses of the Holy" )
|
2007 | Bob Dylan |
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 |
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[81] |
The 100 (Season 2, ep. 16, "Blood Must Have Blood: Part 2") | 2015 | RAIGN |
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[82] | 2018 | KLANG |
") | 2023 | RAIGN |
Terra e Paixão | 2023 | Bob Dylan |
Reptile (film) | 2023 | Bob Dylan |
References
- ^ a b Abercrombie, Olivia; Mitchell, Matt (March 10, 2024). "The 50 Best Original Songs Written for Films". Paste. Retrieved March 11, 2024.
- ^ Heylin, Clinton (2009). Revolution in the Air: The Songs of Bob Dylan, 1957-1973. Chicago Review Press. p. 434.
- ^ TonyAttwood (30 September 2019). "Knockin on Heaven's door: change, change again. | Untold Dylan". Retrieved 2021-03-23.
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- ^ "Italian single certifications – Guns N' Roses – Knockin' on Heaven's Door" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved November 2, 2018. Select "2017" in the "Anno" drop-down menu. Select "Knockin' on Heaven's Door" in the "Filtra" field. Select "Singoli" under "Sezione".
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