Knockin' on Heaven's Door

For other uses, see Knockin' on Heaven's Door (disambiguation).

"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
Genre	Folk rock, gospel
Length	2:18
Writer(s)	Bob Dylan
Producer	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 performed by Bob Dylan for the soundtrack of the 1973 film Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid. It reached #12 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart.

Story line and song structure

The song describes the feelings and impressions of a dying deputy, who can no longer continue his role as a law enforcer. The song consists of four chords in the key of G major: G, D, Am7, and C. The basic pattern throughout the song is G-D-Am7-Am7 and then G-D-C-C, and this is repeated. Over the years, Dylan has changed the lyrics, as have others who have performed this song. Musically the song is very similar to Neil Young's song Helpless, recorded in 1969.

Cover versions

Arthur Louis

Arthur Louis recorded a version of the song in a reggae crossover style. Louis's arrangement was released as a single in July 1975, a week before Eric Clapton released his own interpretation of Louis's arrangement, of the same song.

Eric Clapton

Eric Clapton recorded a reggae influenced version of the song produced by Albhy Galuten in August 1975 and released it as a single later that year, almost two years after Dylan's original track was released, using Arthur Louis's arrangement. Clapton's single featured "Someone Like You" as the B-side, previously recorded with Louis. Live recordings of this arrangement of the song appear on Clapton's album Crossroads 2: Live in the Seventies (1996), which features a performance recorded in London in April 1977. The song was also included on his album Time Pieces: The Best of Eric Clapton (1982) and resurrected for the Journeyman and One More Car, One More Rider world tours in 1990 and 2003.

The Grateful Dead

The song was performed by Bob Dylan & The Grateful Dead, during a joint tour in July 1987. Between August 1987 and July 1994 the Grateful Dead often closed their shows with a performance of this song.^{[citation needed]} On July 7, 1989, the Dead used the song as an encore at John F. Kennedy Stadium. It was not known at the time, but it was to be the swansong for the stadium, which was condemned 6 days later.

Guns N' Roses

"Knockin' on Heaven's Door"
Single by Guns N' Roses
from the album Use Your Illusion II
Released	1992
Format	CD single, 7", 12"
Genre	Rock
Length	5:36
Label	Geffen
Producer	Mike Clink and Guns N' Roses
Guns N' Roses singles chronology
"November Rain" (1992) "Knockin' on Heaven's Door" (1992) "Yesterdays" (1992)

In 1987, Guns N' Roses started including the song in their live sets. A live version of the track was initially released on the Maxi-Single of "Welcome to the Jungle". They recorded a studio version in 1990 for Days of Thunder (soundtrack)'s soundtrack, which 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 #2 on the UK Singles Chart as well as #12 in Australia and #1 in Ireland. 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.

The Alarm

The Alarm regularly played the song at concerts. When The Alarm supported Dylan, they joined him on stage to perform the song.^{[citation needed]}

Dunblane tribute

In 1996 and with the consent of Bob 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 massacre. This has been, according to some sources, one of the very few times Dylan has officially authorized anybody to add or change the lyrics to one of his songs. This version of the song, which included children from the village singing the chorus and guitarist Mark Knopfler, was released on December 9 in the UK and reached #1. The proceeds went to charities for children.

The song was featured on the compilation album Hits 97, where all royalties from the song were given to three separate charities.

Warren Zevon

In 2003, Warren Zevon released a version of the song on his album The Wind (2003), shortly before his death of cancer in September.

Avril Lavigne

Avril Lavigne performed the song on radiosponsored multi-artist appearances, which took place on January 23, 2003 and ended on June 4, 2003. A music video was made with her performance. Later on she included the song during her Try To Shut Me Up Tour. She first released her cover version on the bonus CD of her My World video release in 2003, and afterwards as a Japanese bonus track for her 2011 album Goodbye Lullaby.

Babyface

In the year 2007, Babyface released his eleventh album Playlist which contained a cover of this song.

U2

In August 2010, Bono invited Yuri Shevchuk to join him on the stage for a spontaneous duet. During the performance Shevchuk performed a version of the first part of the song.

Other performances of this song

Other artists to perform the song include Bon Jovi, Dylan alongside Paul Simon, Pink Floyd, Phil Collins, Boy George, Mike Peters, The Animals, Wyclef Jean, Cat Power, Aretha Franklin, Lynyrd Skynyrd, The Sisters of Mercy, Bryan Ferry, Meir Ariel, Yuri Shevchuk, Television, Mark Knopfler, Bruce Springsteen, Heaven, The Lost Dogs, Mungo Jerry, Luciano, Les Fradkin, Selig, Beau Jocque, Randy Crawford, Chaozz, Roger McGuinn, Cold Chisel, Zé Ramalho, DMX, Sandy Denny, Antony and the Johnsons, GWAR, Neil Young with Dylan, Roger Waters, Herman Brood, Nazareth, S Vremena Na Vreme, Angela Aki, Sunny Jim Band, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Dolly Parton, The Red Army Chorus and Ensemble with the Leningrad Cowboys, Ruth Lorenzo (as seen on on The X Factor (UK)), Bride, and Seether.

Sampled version

Gabrielle's single "Rise" (2000) sampled from this song. In the same year the DJ "TNT" sampled the Arthur Louis version of this song.^{[citation needed]}

Soundtrack appearances

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
The Rescuers Down Under	1990	Bob Dylan
Rush	1991	Bob Dylan
Lawn Dogs	1997	Bob Dylan
The Dybbuk of the Holy Apple Field	1997	Roger Waters
Knockin'on Heaven's Door	1997	Selig
Windstruck	2004	Youme
Be Cool	2005	Bob Dylan
Las Vegas (episode 45, "Letters, Lawyers and Loose Women")	2005	Bob Dylan
Six Feet Under (episode 60, "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 "The dark side of the moon")	2010	Bob Dylan
Watchmen	2009	Bob Dylan

External links

• "Arthur Louis reggae/blues cross-over cover version of Knockin' on Heaven's Door (Dylan)". youtube.com. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OpxB2pq7yk4. 
• "Avril Lavigne cover of Knockin' on Heaven's Door (Dylan)". youtube.com. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NTt7eCq02hM. 
• "A list of cover versions of Knockin' on Heaven's Door (Dylan)". bjorner.com. http://www.bjorner.com/songsk.htm#_Knockin'. 
• "Bob Dylan's lyrics for Knockin' on Heaven's Door (Dylan)". bobdylan.com. http://bobdylan.com/songs/knockin.html.