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Cover of Use Your Illusion II by Guns N Roses
Cover: Use Your Illusion II

Song · Guns N Roses

“Knockin on Heaven's Door” by Guns N Roses

From the album Use Your Illusion II (1991)

“Knockin on Heaven's Door” by Guns N Roses appears on 69 radio countdowns from 25 stations between 1990 and 2026. It was first released in 1991 on the album Use Your Illusion II. Its best result is #5 on the KISW 25 Greatest Rock Covers. In the combined RockLists rankings it is #256 classic rock song of all time.

69countdowns
25stations
#5best position
0#1 finishes
1top 10 finishes
1990–2026years charted

Watch

Guns N' Roses - Knockin' On Heaven's Door (Visualizer)

Video from YouTube (GunsNRosesVEVO). Pressing play loads YouTube's player. Watch on YouTube

Guns N' Roses took "Knockin' on Heaven's Door", the song Bob Dylan wrote for the 1973 western Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid, and blew it up to arena size for Use Your Illusion II in September 1991. Axl Rose sings it like a man hollering from the edge, Slash and Izzy Stradlin stack up electric guitars, Duff McKagan and Matt Sorum keep the tempo patient, and backing vocals from the Waters swell up behind them.

Mike Clink produced it with the band and Bill Price mixed, and the result sits somewhere between a hymn and a hard-rock power ballad, stretched out, heavy-lidded and loud.

Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.

RockLists rankings

Classic Rock

Hard Rock & Metal

All Rock Formats

All-time and decade countdowns

Year#StationCountdownof
1990 114 Z-Rock Z-Rock Top 1001 Songs of All-Time (1990) 1000
1994 336 KISW KISW Top 1000 of All Time (1994) 1000
1995 730 KISW KISW Top 1000 of All Time (1995) 1000
1996 644 KISW KISW Top 1000 of All Time (1996) 1000
1997 306 102.3 WBAB WBAB Top 1,023 Rock and Roll Songs of All Time (1997) 1023
1998 632 KISW KISW Top 1000 of All Time (1998) 1000
1999 581 KISW KISW Top 1000 of All Time (1999) 998
2001 19 KISW KISW Top 99 Rock Songs (2001) 99
2002 353 KISW KISW Top 999 of All Time (2002) 999
2010 244 97.9 The Loop The Loop USO Rock 'N' Roll 500 (2010) 500
2011 371 97.9 The Loop The Loop Rock N Roll 500 (2011) 500
2013 329 99.1 PLR 99.1 PLR CT 500 (2013) 500
2014 382 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Firecracker 400 (2014) 400
2014 583 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX 1K Countdown (2014) 1000
2015 265 I-95 I-95 Memorial Day Weekend Top 500 (2015) 500
2015 324 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Firecracker 500 (2015) 499
2015 131 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Top 1007 Classic Rock Countdown (2015) 1007
2015 165 102.9 The Whale 102.9 The Whale Hartford 500 (2015) 500
2016 156 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Top 1007 Countdown for 2016 1007
2016 286 102.9 The Whale 102.9 The Whale Hartford 500 (2016) 500
2017 490 97.9 The Loop 97.9 The Loop Top 540 Countdown (2017) 540
2017 246 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2017) 500
2018 263 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2018) 500
2019 484 102.5 KZOK KZOK Top 1025 of 2019 1025
2019 111 102.5 WDVE DVE Memorial Day 500 (2019) 500
2019 430 Big 100 BIG 500 Memorial Day Countdown (2019) 500
2019 87 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ 500 (2019) 500
2019 265 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2019) 500
2020 101 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2020) 500
2020 257 102.5 KZOK KZOK Classic Rock Top 1025 (2020) 1025
2020 94 102.5 WDVE DVE Memorial Day 500 (2020) 500
2020 28 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ 500 (2020) 500
2020 477 Q105.7 Q105.7 Memorial Day 500 (2020) 499
2021 23 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ 500 (2021) 500
2021 178 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2021) 500
2021 403 Q104.3 Q104.3 Top 1,043 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2021) 1043
2021 350 99.1 PLR 99.1 PLR Big 500 (2021) 500
2021 128 100.7 KSLX KSLX Arizona 500 (2021) 499
2021 52 WCSX WCSX Rock & Roll 500 (2021) 499
2021 5 KISW KISW 25 Greatest Rock Covers 25
2022 151 97.1 The River River 500 (2022) 500
2022 75 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ Rock N Roll 500 (2022) 500
2022 62 94.1 KRNA KRNA Memorial Day 500 (2022) 500
2022 609 102.5 KZOK KZOK Classic Rock Top 1025 (2022) 1025
2022 486 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2022) 500
2022 561 Q104.3 Q104.3 Top 1,043 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2022) 1043
2022 378 102.5 WDVE DVE Memorial Day 500 (2022) 500
2022 75 100.7 KSLX KSLX Arizona 500 (2022) 500
2023 345 97.1 The Drive 97.1 The Drive Memorial Day Weekend Rock N Roll 500 (2023) 500
2023 62 101.5 WPDH WPDH Top 1015 (2023) 1015
2023 41 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ Rock N Roll 500 (2023) 500
2023 273 KSHE 95 KSHE 95 Rock N' Roll 500 (2023) 500
2023 341 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2023) 500
2023 780 Q104.3 Q104.3 Top 1,043 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2023) 1043
2023 327 102.5 WDVE DVE Memorial Day 500 (2023) 500
2024 86 KQRS KQRS KQ 500 (2024) 499
2024 48 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ Rock N Roll 500 (2024) 500
2024 320 KSHE 95 KSHE 95 Rock N' Roll 500 (2024) 500
2024 113 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2024) 499
2024 89 99.1 PLR 99.1 PLR Top 400 of the Last 40 Years (2024) 400
2024 645 Q104.3 Q104.3 Top 1,043 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2024) 1043
2024 99 The Colorado Sound The Colorado Sound Top 850 Cover Songs 850
2025 470 WMGK WMGK Philly 500 (2025) 500
2025 68 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ Rock N Roll 500 (2025) 500
2025 79 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2025) 500
2025 131 99.1 PLR 99.1 PLR Top 400 of the Last 40 Years (2025) 400
2025 1039 Q104.3 Q104.3 Top 1,043 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2025) 1043
2026 43 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ Rock N Roll 500 (2026) 500
2026 183 100.7 KSLX KSLX Arizona 500 (2026) 500

Also listed as: Knockin On Heaven's Door; Knockin' on Heavens Door; Knockin' on Heaven's Door; Knockin' On Heaven's Door; Knockin on Heavens Door; Knocking On Heavens Door.

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