Bob Dylan Wrote This Classic In 1973 — 17 Years Later, A Hard Rock Cover Brought It Back To Life

In July 1973, Bob Dylan released "Knockin' on Heaven's Door" as a single from his first film soundtrack for Sam Peckinpah's gritty Western, "Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid." Then in 1990, Guns N' Roses transformed the tune into something else completely, creating a '90s rock song that sounds even cooler today than it did when it was released.

Dylan had written the tune for a scene in the film when a lawman played by Slim Pickens is mortally wounded by Billy the Kid (Kris Kristofferson) and his gang. With only two verses and a chorus that repeats the phrase "Knock, knock, knockin' on heaven's door," the short song is a haunting ballad about mortality. It became one of Dylan's classics — which we'd trade the world to hear again for the first time – and an international hit. In the U.S., it went to No. 12 on the Billboard Hot 100, Dylan's fifth-highest charting single of all time. 

Some 17 years later, Guns N' Roses turned the song into an arena rock anthem with a soaring guitar solo by Slash, sound effects, and a spoken word interlude. The band's version was also featured on the soundtrack of "Days of Thunder," a 1990 Tom Cruise film about car racing. When Guns N' Roses released its cover as a single in 1992, it reached No. 18 on Billboard's Mainstream Rock chart. 

Bob Dylan's version of "Knockin' on Heaven's Door" features the electric guitar work of the Byrds' Roger McGuinn and a female backing chorus, has a hushed feel, a prayer to the dying, and a slight country vibe. In the hands of Guns N' Roses, the song takes on a more visceral edge; a raging against the dying of the light. The band first began playing this Dylan cover all the way back in 1987, but by the time it was first recorded, Guns N' Roses was at the pinnacle of its success and starting to rip at the seams due to substance misuse and internal tensions.

The band also included its version of "Knockin' on Heaven's Door" on "Use Your Illusion II," which they released in 1991 at the same time as "Use Your Illusion I." Guns N' Roses' cinematic take on the song fits within the context of the band's arc: They were doing everything bigger, including the length of "Knockin' on Heaven's Door," which was over twice as long as Dylan's original. 

Besides the use of sound effects, there's also a spoken-word section in the form of a scripted phone call with actor Josh Richman talking about mortality, ending with, "And it wouldn't be luck if you could get out of life alive." The cover may not have been Dylan's favorite song, as he would later compare Guns N' Roses' version to the sci-fi film "Invasion of the Body Snatchers."