Knockin' on Heaven's Door
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| “Knockin' on Heaven's Door” | |||||
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| Single by Bob Dylan from the album Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid |
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| B-side | "Turkey Chase" | ||||
| Released | 1973 | ||||
| Genre | Rock | ||||
| Length | 2:32 | ||||
| Producer | Gerald McCartan (Arlington Heights, Illinois) | ||||
| Bob Dylan singles chronology | |||||
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| “Knockin' on Heaven's Door” | |||||
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| Single by Guns N' Roses from the album Use Your Illusion II |
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| Released | 1992 | ||||
| Recorded | A&M Studios, Record Plant Studios, Studio 56, Image Recording, Conway Studios & Metalworks Recording Studios 1990-1991 |
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| Genre | Hard rock | ||||
| Length | 5:40 | ||||
| Label | Geffen Records | ||||
| Writer(s) | Bob Dylan | ||||
| Producer | Mike Clink Guns N' Roses |
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| Guns N' Roses singles chronology | |||||
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"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. The song reached #12 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart. The song consists of four chords in the key of A minor 7 (dorian mode): 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. In 2004, it was voted #190 by representatives of the music industry and press in Rolling Stone magazine's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time issue.
[edit] Covers
Although it was originally recorded as an acoustic folk song, "Knockin' On Heaven's Door" has been covered in many tempos and styles, by many artists, most famously Guns N' Roses (which reached #2 in the UK Singles Chart) and Eric Clapton, also by The Grateful Dead, Bryan Ferry, The Alarm, Mark Knopfler, Wyclef Jean, The Sisters of Mercy, Warren Zevon, Seether, Cold Chisel, U2, Roger Waters, Television, Guided By Voices, Avril Lavigne, Aerosmith, Daniel Lioneye, Off target (band), Antony and the Johnsons, Bon Jovi, The Lost Dogs, Bob Marley, Randy Crawford, Beau Jocques, Chaozz, Zé Ramalho (Brazil), and Rick Devin. Australian heavy metal band Heaven covered the song in 1985 and also used the title as the name of their third album. In 2001, Daniel Lioneye project band of the Finnish band HIM made a cover of the song.
In 1976, British punk rock band, Siouxsie and the Banshees, performed the parts of the song at the 100 Club Punk Festival as part of "The Lord's Prayer".
In 1985, Australian heavy metal band, Heaven, released "Knockin' On Heaven's Door" as a single.
In 1987 the American rock band Guns N' Roses started including the song in their live sets. Their most famous version was the one sung at the Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert, and this version was included on their Greatest Hits album.
In 1989 it was covered on the album Cherry Knowle by British punk band Leatherface, although it was listed as "Heaven".
In 1990, it was featured on Days of Thunder's soundtrack.
In 1991 the American rock band Guns N' Roses released the song in their Use Your Illusion II album. It reached #2 in the UK singles chart.
In 1992 the Japanese rock band B'z performed a cover of the song at one of the shows during their LIVE-GYM '92 IN THE LIFE concert tour in Japan. The song was never released officially, but a recording from someone in the audience exists on Japanese file sharing networks.
In 1993 it was performed by the Red Army Chorus and Ensemble with the Leningrad Cowboys in the Total Balalaika show and subsequent video.
In 1998, South African group Ladysmith Black Mambazo and U.S. country diva Dolly Parton teamed up to record a version of the song.
In 2003, Avril Lavigne released a live version on her DVD My World, and, in 2004, released a studio version on her single Nobody's Home. She also recently performed it at the Roxy theater. It was performed and arranged differently from her original cover.
In 2003, Warren Zevon did a version for his final album "The Wind." Zevon was dying of lung cancer and the album was released two weeks before his death.
The song was used to a somewhat humorous effect in the 2005 film, Be Cool and was featured on the movie's soundtrack.
It was played at the end of the HBO series Big Love episode Kingdom Come.
With the consent of Bob Dylan, Dunblane musician Ted Christopher wrote a new verse for Knockin' on Heaven's Door in memory of the Dunblane schoolchildren and teacher killed in the Dunblane massacre. The recording of the revised version of the song, which included brothers and sisters of the victims singing chorus and Mark Knopfler on guitar, was released on December 9, 1996 in the UK, and reached number 1. The proceeds went to charities for children.
Although not a cover, Gabrielle's UK number one single Rise samples extensively from the track[clarify], so much so in fact that the first 30 seconds of the original and of 'Rise' are completely identical.
In 2007, Babyface covered the song on his album, Playlist. Antony and the Johnsons recorded a version of the song this same year, which appeared exclusively on the soundtrack for the Dylan biopic/drama I'm Not There.
| Preceded by "A Different Beat" by Boyzone |
UK Singles Chart number-one single (Dunblane version) 15 December 1996 – 22 December |
Succeeded by "2 Become 1" by Spice Girls |
[edit] External links
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