It’s hard to believe that there’s someone out there who hasn’t heard some version of “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door.” My cursory research revealed almost 100 official covers of the song and I believe that to be soft.
But GNR’s version along with Warren Zevon’s edition got me thinking about what else is out there. I’m not talking about Dylan’s own preoccupation with playing his own songs at different tempos and phrasings live, never performing the same things twice. After all, that could be its own thing for almost anything Dylan sang.
To that end, I’ve included only STUDIO covers. Between Dylan and The Grateful Dead, both together and separately, there are plenty of live versions of the song out there on both Spotify, YouTube, and wherever else you should choose to look.
I’ll discuss my list chronologically and then put my top five favorites at the end…
It all starts with Bob Dylan’s original from the soundtrack for 1973’s Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid. It is a film I have yet to watch, but it is on my list. Dylan wrote all ten tracks on what the album cover describes as a “Bob Dylan Soundtrack.” Bob Dylan is also in the movie, but let’s leave that for another time.
Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door is the breakout song from that soundtrack, breaking the top 20 on many charts and cracking the top 10 in Canada, Ireland, Norway, and the US. Not for nothing, songs were different back then, as this hit record comes in at a whopping two minutes and thirty-two seconds. That means every cover of this song is longer than the original. Guns N’ Roses’ version is more than double the original coming in at five minutes and thirty-six seconds.
And one more tidbit before we get to the covers… Dylan wasn’t the only name on the original recording of the song. He had none other than The Byrds’ Roger McGuinn also on guitar for the recording.
Now let’s get into the covers.
1975 Arthur Louis (w/ Eric Clapton & Gene Chandler)
The authenticity with which this version is sung, paired with Clapton’s guitar and the back up singers, is pure artistry.
1985 Heaven
Heaven, the Australian metal band released a cover on their third and final studio album titled “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door.” It is musically one of the cleanest sounding rock versions of the song I’ve ever heard. This version makes GNR’s version sound downright gritty.
1991 Guns N’ Roses
Slash’s clean guitar notes, paired with the long rung out power chords, powerful drums, Duff’s strong backbeat bassline, and Axl’s vocals make this a great cover. Who can forget the phone call? They made this one their own. And while this list is about studio versions, the live version on Live Era ‘87 – ’93 includes a choir, audience participation, and some reggae, too.
1993 Jerry Garcia, David Grisman, Tony Rice – The Pizza Tapes
Though not released until 2000, this cover of the song includes Garcia singing and on guitar, plus Rice’s guitar. But it’s the perfection of Grisman’s mandolin playing that is not found in any other cover of the song.
1995 Eric Clapton
Clapton’s version goes heavy into the reggae for the whole song with his typical slow-hand soloing. It’s interesting that this is a genre change and not a tempo or a change of feeling to the song.
2002 Wyclef Jean
Wyclef Jean’s version is less a cover and more a reimagining of the song. Musically, it is another reggae-inspired version injected with different verse lyrics, but the sentiment and the heart of the song still remains.
2003 Avril Lavigne
Avril is much more than just a pop punk icon. She can sing, too, and in her cover of Dylan’s classic she showcases what she can do when the distortion is turned off and she just lets go.
2003 Warren Zevon
This one is musically so clean that Zevon’s vocals shine in a different light. But the thing that may come as a surprise to many is that the credit for backing vocals from the liner notes of The Wind, the album that this cover is on, is none other than Billy Bob Thornton.
2015 RAIGN
I can now say I have heard “Pop romanticism,” as that’s what RAIGN is described as. To me, it sounds like a mix of 80s synth pop, with a modern backbeat, and ENYA-type ethereal lyrics. But perhaps as a triumph of both the song and the artist, everything in this cover just seems to fit.
2016 Dave Mekon and The Deltas
Not to take anything away from these guys, but this version sounds like what I would expect a cover of Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door to sound like if it was played by Lynyrd Skynyrd. That’s not a knock, it’s just how I would describe it, and it is every bit as good as you’d expect.
2025 Zucchero
Apparently, Zucchero was at Woodstock ‘94, which I remember unfolding before my young eyes on MTV, but I don’t remember him. This stripped down rock blues version is beautiful. Surprisingly, the most unique thing about it is the drums, while fall away for a time to come even bigger.
Since I did mention the GNR live version, I should mention Television’s live version from The Blow-Up, Tom Petty’s live version from Live at the Fillmore (1997), and Grateful Dead’s numerous live versions.
With all of the chronology out of the way, my personal top five of these covers of Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door is:
- Avril Lavigne
- RAIGN
- Arthur Louis
- Warren Zevon
- Guns N’ Roses
Did I miss one of your favorite studio covers? I’m sure there’s more. And what’s your top five of these or other covers of Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door?