Knockin' on Heaven's Door — Bob Dylan (1973)

Why it's in this book

In November the Year 9 (3º ESO) anchor song is "Stand by Me", and the month's second song is chosen by the band on duty. "Knockin' on Heaven's Door" is one of the two candidates, together with "Let It Be". It used to be in Year 10 (4º ESO), but it is more of a choir song than a band song, so it has moved down to Year 9. It is slow, it has four chords and a chorus that is crying out for a second part: "knock, knock, knockin'" in two voices. In class we play it in G, just like Dylan's record: G, D, A minor and C. Nothing needs transposing. In the room with nothing, we sing the chorus a cappella, first in unison and then in two parts, with a slow beat marked with body percussion; in the ukulele room, we play the four chords; in the music room, the electric guitar plays the chords as arpeggios, note by note, and the keyboard holds the harmony.

Why this song

You have probably heard it in the Guns N' Roses version, with electric guitars and more than five minutes long. The original is by Bob Dylan, from 1973, and it lasts less than half that: two and a half minutes.

The question on this page is: how can such a short, simple song end up in the repertoire of such different bands?

Historical context

Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter. In the 1960s he became famous with protest songs, an acoustic guitar and a harmonica. In 2016 he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature, the first ever given to a musician.

In 1973 the director Sam Peckinpah made a western, "Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid". Dylan wrote the soundtrack. "Knockin' on Heaven's Door" was written for one specific scene: a sheriff is dying, shot, by a river, and his wife is watching him. The lyrics are what that man might be thinking. That is why it is so short: it lasts as long as the scene.

Dylan's biographer Clinton Heylin described it as "an exercise in splendid simplicity". It came out as a single in August 1973 and reached the top 10 in several countries.

Foto: Raph_PH, CC BY 2.0, vía Wikimedia Commons

This is Slash, the Guns N' Roses guitarist, at a 2017 concert. The band started playing the song live in 1987. They recorded it in the studio in 1990 and released it on their album "Use Your Illusion II" in 1991. Their version reached number 2 in the UK and number 1 in several European countries.

Musical characteristics

Four chords in two phrases. The whole song rests on four chords: G, D and A minor, then G, D and C. The first phrase ends on A minor, which sounds open, like a question. The second ends on C, which sounds more closed. This chord progression never changes: verse and chorus use the same one.

A chorus that is one single line. The chorus repeats "knock, knock, knockin' on heaven's door" four times. There are no other words. A short line, repeated, with a held note: that is what lets an audience sing it without ever having learned it. On Dylan's record, three backing singers sing the chorus with him.

Few instruments. The 1973 recording has an acoustic guitar, another guitar, a bass, very soft drums and a harmonium, a small pump organ that sounds like a village church. Everything is slow: 70 beats per minute.

The Guns N' Roses version. The same four chords, but with electric guitars and hard-hitting drums. The song is twice as long, has guitar solos and sounds a semitone lower, in F sharp. It is the same song, turned into a stadium anthem. A new recording of a song that already exists is called a cover.

How the class band plays it. The electric guitar does not strum: it plays the chords as arpeggios, the notes of the chord one after another, not all at once. That leaves room for the voices in the chorus.

Hard facts: G major, 4/4, 70 beats per minute, 2:32. Form: intro, verse, chorus, verse, chorus.

Guided listening

Play Dylan's audio first. In the intro, listen to the chords and say quietly "G, D, A" and then "G, D, C".

In the first verse, look for the harmonium: a long sound, like a small organ, under the voice.

When the chorus arrives, count how many times the line repeats. Notice who sings it: Dylan is not alone.

Now play the Guns N' Roses version. Listen to the lead guitar between the sung lines: what is it doing that was not there in Dylan's version?

Compare the two choruses. Which one sounds more like something a stadium would sing?

Trivia and curiosities

• The song was written for a scene that lasts a few minutes. That is why it only has two verses: it did not need more.

• Eric Clapton recorded it in 1975 in a reggae style. Same chords, a different rhythm. A simple song can survive style changes that a complicated one could not.

• Guns N' Roses first recorded it for the soundtrack of "Days of Thunder", a 1990 car-racing film with Tom Cruise. A year later it came out on their album.

• In 2004 Rolling Stone magazine placed it at number 190 in its list of the 500 greatest songs of all time.

Classroom activities

• Chorus in unison. The whole class sings the chorus a cappella, in unison. Boys an octave lower. A slow beat with your feet: 70 per minute.

• "Knock, knock, knockin'" in two parts. One group sings the melody. The other sings the same line a third lower. Hint: the note for the third is in the chord playing at that moment.

• The four chords on ukulele. G, D, A minor; G, D, C. One chord per bar. Start with one strum per beat. When it works, sing on top.

• Compare versions. Listen to both versions and fill in a three-row table: length, instruments and what the guitar does. What has changed and what has stayed the same?

• Band. In the music room, the electric guitar plays the chords as arpeggios and the keyboard holds them with long notes, like Dylan's harmonium.

Key vocabulary

• Chord progression — progresión de acordes
• Harmonium — armonio: pequeño órgano de fuelle
• Arpeggio — arpegio: las notas del acorde una detrás de otra
• Cover — versión

Resources

Bob Dylan's official audio — The 1973 recording. There is no music video for this version.

Guns N' Roses version, to compare — On the band's official channel.

Ukulele tutorial — Ukulele Underground. Play and sing along.

Guitar tutorial — Andy Guitar. The four chords, explained for beginners.

Piano tutorial — Piano with Nate. An easy accompaniment.