Knockin' On Heaven's Door

by **Soulmonster** Sat Aug 07, 2010 11:30 pm

KNOCKIN' ON HEAVEN'S DOOR

Album:
Use Your Illusion II, 1991, track no. 4.

Written by:
Bob Dylan.

Musicians:
Drums: Matt
Bass: Duff
Lead and Rhythm Guitars: Slash
Rhythm Guitar: Izzy
Vocals: Axl
Background Vocals: Axl, The Waters

Live performances:
'Knockin' On Heaven's Door' was played for the first time at the Marquee, England, on June 19, 1987. In total it has, as of {UPDATEDATE}, at least been played {KNOCKINSONGS} times.

Lyrics:

Mama take this badge from me
I can't use it anymore
It's getting dark too dark to see
Feels like I'm knockin' on heaven's door

Kn-kn-knockin' on heaven's door
Kn-knockin' on heaven's door
Kn-knockin' on heaven's door
Kn-knockin' on heaven's door

Mama put my guns in the ground
I can't shoot them anymore
That cold black cloud is comin' down
Feels like I'm knockin' on heaven's door

Kn-kn-knockin' on heaven's door
Kn-knockin' on heaven's door
Kn-knockin' on heaven's door
Kn-knockin' on heaven's door

"You just better start sniffin' your own
rank subjugation jack 'cause it's just you
against your tattered libido, the bank and
the mortician, forever man and it wouldn't
be luck if you could get out of life alive"

Kn-kn-knockin' on heaven's door
Kn-knockin' on heaven's door
Kn-knockin' on heaven's door
Kn-knockin' on heaven's door

Quotes regarding the song and its making:

Talking about the decision to play it live for the first time:

[Playing the song] was on Axl's mind—and my mind, I guess—but I never wanted to play it 'cause too many people covered it. But one night Axl came over to this place I was staying and said, "Let's do it," and worked it out right then and there. We played it in London for the first time.

Music Connection, November 30-December 13, 1987

Heaven’s Door was something that came out of the blue, because I liked the song and Axl liked it, but we’d never talked about it. One day it came up and we were talking on the phone, and I was like, “You want to do that?! Great!” We did it at the Marquee for the first time.

ITV Raw Power, August 31, 1991

I was staying at someone’s apartment and Axl was at his place and we were on the phone talking about covers for the shows at the Marquee in London, and that song came up, and I was like "I have always wanted to do that song." And he was like "Yeah, that’ll be awesome!" So we went to the Marquee and did it at soundcheck and just did it that night. It’s gone through a lot of changes over the years. Actually we had a punkrock version of it at first, and we finally mellowed it out to an actual song that sounds like we thought it should sound like. But that was while recording. When we play it live it’s sort of a cross-over. Very hard and heavy, but at the same time sort of like the album.

Guns N' Roses: The Hits, 1992

On Thursday, June 11 [1987], we were ready to perform our very first gig in Europe [At the Marquee in London]. During the sound check, the guys started into a rocking song that I wasn't sure I had heard before. I was like, "Wow, this is a cool new tune." It had a haunting familiarity to it that I couldn't quite place. Since Axl wasn't there yet, Izzy and Duff started singing it the second time around and only then did I realize it was 'Knockin' On Heaven's Door.' I smiled; "Oh yeah, it's that song." I realized we were taking the classic Bob Dylan tune and rocking out ion it, taking it solidly under our wing into Guns N' Roses territory (...). It was Axl's idea to do 'Knockin' On Heaven's Door.' He told Slash about it, they learned it, and we did it. They never even mentioned it to me though, just expecting me to pick up the beat on the fly. I didn't know if this was a tribute to my drumming adaptability or a sign of their abject disregard for my needs as a members of the band (but I could venture a pretty god fucking guess).

"My Appetite for Destruction", 2010, pp. 126

At soundcheck before the first show on June 19, 1987, we ran through a cover song. We played it just once, but somehow our feelings found a vessel in this Bob Dylan song and our emotions just came pouring out.

Duff's autobiography, "It's So Easy", 2011, p. 123-124

Those Marquee shows were loud and hell-bent; what I remember I remember fondly. (...) One of those nights was also the first time that we ever played 'Knockin' On Heaven's Door,' which we put together at sound check on a whim. I'd always loved that song and loved that live version - it was much more raw than what we ended up on Use Your Illusion.

Bozza, Anthony, & Slash (2007). Slash. Harper Entertainment: New York, pp, 184-185

Axl talking about dedicating Knockin' On Heaven's Door to their friend Todd Crew who died of an overdose:

We've tried to stop dedicating "Knocking On Heaven's Door" to Todd. If we get through the whole song, as soon it's over, one of us goes to the mic to dedicate it to Todd. We can't seem to break away from that. I'm told by a friend of mine that you won't get over it until it happens again. I heard it from someone who would know. I'd like to think that if people are gonna go do whatever after the show, maybe in the back of their heads if they're having fun and going, "Yeah, Guns N' Roses," they'll say "Maybe I won't do quite as much, 'cause tomorrow I have to..." whatever. You know.

Music Connection, November 30-December 13, 1987

Talking about recording the song:

'Heaven's Door' has that same sound in it for the solos [as on Estranged], and that's the Explorer on the rhythm pickup, with the tone down [...] There are two [solo] sections on that song, I'd been playing those solos off-the-cuff since we started playing that song. But when we went into the studio to do it, I played it completely differently than I've ever played it. I did this whole melody off the top of my head. I did one solo one day, and then the next solo the next day, and they are both one take. [...] The outro solo [...] I did the first day after I came up with the melody for the first solo, I did the second one and [Mike Clink] wasn't really happy with it. I thought it was fine. I took it home and listened to it. The next morning, on my way somewhere, I stopped by the studio and just pulled it off one more time and did it way better.

Guitar For The Practising Musician, April 1990

There's two solo sections on that song. I'd been playing those solos off-the-cuff since we started playing that song. But when we went in the studio to do it, I played it completely differently than I've ever played it. I did this whole melody off the top of my head. I did one solo one day, and then the next solo the next day, and they're both one take. (...) The outro solo on 'Heaven's Door,' I did the first day after I came up with the melody for the first solo. I did the second one and he [Mike Clink] wasn't really happy with it. I thought it was fine. I took it home and listened to it. The next morning, on my way somewhere, I stopped by the studio and just pulled it off one more time and did it way better.

Guitar, April 1992

The first recording with Matt [Sorum] was 'Knockin' On Heaven's Door,' for the Days of Thunder soundtrack (which also ended up on the Illusions albums). I remember doing the solo for it on my way somehere and I used a '58 Gibson Explorer. It was an amazing take, I just ran in there with my girlfriend and some friends in tow, picked up the guitar, and really let the solo sing: I turned the tone down on the bass pickup, I locked it and let it scream. I really love the way that one came out - it was very emotional yet effortless.

Bozza, Anthony, & Slash (2007). Slash. Harper Entertainment: New York, pp, 311

And when I came in here [A&M Records] with Mike Clink, you know, the first track I did with him here at A&M was Knockin' on Heaven's Door. So we came in here to sort of try the room. And we did a track for this film called Days of Thunder, which Tom Cruise was the star. And I remember at the time we hired the drum kit of Jamo [?] who was [?] Carlos' drum tech. And he had a kit and he came in and it was all tuned up and I sat down. It was a beautiful Gretch kit.We set it up and Mike miked it get really cool and baffled it because the room is really big. We weren't really looking for a big room sound. We were looking for kind of a more tight rock'n'roll, in your face, punchy, se we baffled the drums off quite a bit. Didn't really use the entirety of the room for the drums per se. Like a lot of guys think, "Oh, we're gonna get a big rock drum sound but we're gonna go to this massive room and it's gonna sound huge," and things got carried away with that in the 80s. Mid 80s. Everyone was trying to like go and capture this Kashmir, John Bonham kind of thing, which, if you really listen to that, it's not a big room, it's John Bonham, you know, and it's the way they miked the drums and it goes with the other instruments. So something happened in the mid 80s where it was like, "Big drum rooms! Let's go record the drums in a swimming pool!" and you know, microphones everywhere and, you know [imitating big drums], and reverbs and all these things started happening, you know, to drums. And the thing about Guns N' Roses was there was more of a traditional rock band, is that we studied the bands that we were into and that we studied were the great bands that came before us. You know, like the Stones, Aerosmith, you know, ZZ Top, Cheap Trick, I can name a list. And there was a punk element to it. So we we loved early Pistols albums, Clash records, you know, they were down and dirty.

Spitfire, January 25, 2016

Talking about the song:

And there are times when everybody comes together, like in singing 'Knockin' on Heaven's Door.' That's one reason we do the song: it's for people.

Interview Magazine, May 1992

'Knockin' on Heaven's Door' was brilliant. We took that old song from Bob Dylan and turned it into that kind of hymn. That was special.

loveloveleon, July 2010

by **Blackstar** Sun Sep 08, 2019 12:16 pm

Review of the single in Kerrang, May 23, 1992.

Thanks to @Surge for sending it!

SINGLEZ

Cover yer ears, folks! Something Deathly’s reviewing the new 45s – BARNEY GREENWAY and MITCH HARRIS of NAPALM DEATH and brothers DONALD and JOHN TARDY of OBITUARY! Haunting spectre: PAUL ELLIOT

GUNS N‘ ROSES 'Knockin' On Heaven's Door' (Geffen)

From 'Use Your Illusion II', the stronger of the two albums, this old Bob Dylan number is backed with a live version taken from GN'R's performance at the Freddie Mercury Tnbute show.

Donald: ‘I hate Guns N' Roses. I just can't stand 'em!"

John: “I don't understand why they’re so popular, cos they're not that great. I don't get it.”

Barney: 'To me, they're just a bunch of spoilt people throwing things like homophobia at a lot of easily-influenced young kids. Rednecks, that's all they are. I don't like their music, but for someone so influential to be putting that shit into people's heads is just f**king not on."

Mitch: “I like Guns N' Roses! They’re original, they got a lot of catchy songs. If I hear a Guns N' Roses song in a pub it doesn’t bother me."

by **Soulmonster** Tue May 09, 2023 9:54 am

And when I came in here [A&M Records] with Mike Clink, you know, the first track I did with him here at A&M was Knockin' on Heaven's Door. So we came in here to sort of try the room. And we did a track for this film called Days of Thunder, which Tom Cruise was the star. And I remember at the time we hired the drum kit of Jamo [?] who was [?] Carlos' drum tech. And he had a kit and he came in and it was all tuned up and I sat down. It was a beautiful Gretch kit.We set it up and Mike miked it get really cool and baffled it because the room is really big. We weren't really looking for a big room sound. We were looking for kind of a more tight rock'n'roll, in your face, punchy, se we baffled the drums off quite a bit. Didn't really use the entirety of the room for the drums per se. Like a lot of guys think, "Oh, we're gonna get a big rock drum sound but we're gonna go to this massive room and it's gonna sound huge," and things got carried away with that in the 80s. Mid 80s. Everyone was trying to like go and capture this Kashmir, John Bonham kind of thing, which, if you really listen to that, it's not a big room, it's John Bonham, you know, and it's the way they miked the drums and it goes with the other instruments. So something happened in the mid 80s where it was like, "Big drum rooms! Let's go record the drums in a swimming pool!" and you know, microphones everywhere and, you know [imitating big drums], and reverbs and all these things started happening, you know, to drums. And the thing about Guns N' Roses was there was more of a traditional rock band, is that we studied the bands that we were into and that we studied were the great bands that came before us. You know, like the Stones, Aerosmith, you know, ZZ Top, Cheap Trick, I can name a list. And there was a punk element to it. So we we loved early Pistols albums, Clash records, you know, they were down and dirty.

Spitfire, January 25, 2016

by **Soulmonster** Tue Oct 01, 2024 10:36 am

i used to get a call once a year from Bob Dylan’s lady, asking me to thank the band for recording “Heaven’s Door” because they would receive MASSIVE checks from the sales of our version (in royalties)
She said that he loved the version (although I never spoke to him directly)

Quora, October 25, 2018

by **Soulmonster** Wed Oct 02, 2024 7:07 am

Axl talking about dedicating Knockin' On Heaven's Door to their friend Todd Crew who died of an overdose:

We've tried to stop dedicating "Knocking On Heaven's Door" to Todd. If we get through the whole song, as soon it's over, one of us goes to the mic to dedicate it to Todd. We can't seem to break away from that. I'm told by a friend of mine that you won't get over it until it happens again. I heard it from someone who would know. I'd like to think that if people are gonna go do whatever after the show, maybe in the back of their heads if they're having fun and going, "Yeah, Guns N' Roses," they'll say "Maybe I won't do quite as much, 'cause tomorrow I have to..." whatever. You know.

Music Connection, November 30-December 13, 1987

by **Soulmonster** Thu Oct 03, 2024 7:19 am

[Playing the song] was on Axl's mind—and my mind, I guess—but I never wanted to play it 'cause too many people covered it. But one night Axl came over to this place I was staying and said, "Let's do it," and worked it out right then and there. We played it in London for the first time.

Music Connection, November 30-December 13, 1987

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