Knockin' on Heaven's Door

Template:Short description {{#invoke:other uses|otheruses}} Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox song "Knockin' on Heaven's Door" is a song by the 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",<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> 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".<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

It was ranked number 190 in 2004 by Rolling Stone magazine, in their 500 Greatest Songs of All Time,<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> and number 192 in 2010,<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> but excluded from the revised list in 2021.

Personnel

• Bob Dylan: vocals, guitar<ref name =Burbank>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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• Roger McGuinn: guitar<ref name =Burbank/>
• Jim Keltner: drums<ref name =Burbank/>
• Terry Paul: bass<ref name =Burbank/>
• Carl Fortina: harmonium<ref name =Burbank/>
• Carol Hunter: backing vocals<ref name =Burbank/>
• Donna Weiss: backing vocals<ref name =Burbank/>
• Brenda Patterson: backing vocals<ref name =Burbank/>

Charts

Weekly charts

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Chart (1973–2025)	Peak position
Australia (Kent Music Report)<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>	10
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	54
US Rock Digital Song Sales (Billboard)<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>	20
US Cash Box Top 100<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	10

Year-end charts

Chart (1973)	Position
Australia (Kent Music Report)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	92
Canada Top Singles (RPM)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	93
US (Joel Whitburn's Pop Annual)<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>	104

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.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> 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.<ref name="Arthur Louis original arrangement">Template:Cite book</ref> This version was released on Timepieces: The Best of Eric Clapton. Clapton's version made it to No. 38 on the UK charts,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> 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 Cashbox's Looking Ahead chart<ref>Cash box Singles – Looking Ahead. Template:Webarchive September 20, 1975.</ref>). 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.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Guns N' Roses versions

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 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.<ref name="Gun N' Roses Knockin' On Heavens Door">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> 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.<ref name="mvdbase">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

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

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Chart (1990)	Peak position

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Chart (1992)	Peak position
Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>	3
Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)<ref name="Pennanan">Pennanen, Timo. Sisältää hitin: levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972. Otava Publishing Company Ltd, 2003. Template:ISBN</ref>	7
Greece (IFPI)<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>	9
Italy (Musica e dischi)<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>	9
Portugal (AFP)<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>	1
UK Airplay (Music Week)<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>	20

Year-end charts

Chart (1992)	Position
Australia (ARIA)<ref name="ausye">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	35
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	9
Belgium (Ultratop)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	5
Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>	13
Germany (Media Control)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	9
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	3
Netherlands (Single Top 100)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	1
New Zealand (RIANZ)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	20
Sweden (Topplistan)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	47
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	8
UK Singles (OCC)<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>	34

Decade-end charts

Chart (1990–1999)	Position
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	26

Release history

Region	Date	Format(s)	Label(s)	Template:Abbr
United Kingdom	May 11, 1992	Template:Hlist	Template:Hlist	<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>
Australia	July 6, 1992	Template:Hlist		<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>

Dunblane tribute

Template:Infobox song 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.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

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,<ref name="dunblaneuk"/><ref name="dunblanescot"/> as well as No. 6 in Iceland and Ireland.<ref name="dunblaneice"/><ref name="dunblaneire"/> The proceeds went to charities for children.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The song was featured on the compilation album Hits 97, where all royalties from the song were given to three charities.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Charts

Weekly charts

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Chart (1996–1997)	Peak position
Iceland (Íslenski Listinn Topp 40)<ref name="dunblaneice">Template:Cite news</ref>	6

Year-end charts

Chart (1996)	Position
UK Singles (OCC)<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>	31

Chart (1997)	Position
Iceland (Íslenski Listinn Topp 40)<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>	97

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.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>