Bob Dylan Called Bruce Springsteen’s Cover of This Song ‘Incredible’
Many musicians have recorded covers of famous Bob Dylan songs. Dylan is aware of most of them and has varying opinions of these artists’ renditions of his music. One rock legend who covered a song of Bob Dylan’s is Bruce Springsteen, and the singer thought it was “incredible.”
‘Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door’ was a hit for Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan doesn’t have many hits in his career. He’s never had a No. 1 hit, and he only has four top-10 hits. However, “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door” came close to reaching the top 10. Dylan wrote the song for the 1973 film Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid, but it was released two months before its premiere as a single.
While it peaked at No.12 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, it was a top 10 hit in a few countries, including Ireland, Australia, and Norway. It’s still one of his most popular songs and has been covered by many famous artists.
Bob Dylan called Bruce Springsteen’s cover of the song incredible
Bruce Springsteen is an artist who adores Bob Dylan and has shown his appreciation for him by covering many of his songs. The one that sticks out the most for Dylan is his cover of “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door”, which The Boss performed in 1995 with Wolfgang Niedecken and his band at Cafe Eckstein in Berlin. While he never recorded an official version, Dylan still thought Springsteen’s version was “incredible.”
“Incredible! He did that song like the record, something I myself have never tried,” Dylan shared in a 2015 Q+A on his website. “I never even thought it was worth it. Maybe never had the manpower in one band to pull it off. I don’t know, but I never thought about it. To tell you the truth, I’d forgotten how the song ought to go. Bruce pulled all the power and spirituality, and beauty out of it as no one has ever done. He was faithful, truly faithful to the version on the record, obviously the only one he has to go by.”
“I’m not a nostalgic person, but for a second there, it all came back, Peckinpah, Slim Pickens, Katy Jurado, James Coburn, the dusty lawless streets of Durango, my first wife, my kids when they were small. For a second, it all came back… it was that powerful,” he continued. “Bruce is a deep conscientious cat, and the evidence of that was in the performance. He can get to your heart, my heart anyway.”
Dylan didn’t like the Guns N’ Roses version
Other artists who have covered this Bob Dylan song include Eric Clapton, Arthur Louis, and Randy Crawford. However, the most famous cover might be the version by Guns N’ Roses, who recorded a version for 1990’s Days of Thunder. Unfortunately, Dylan didn’t like their version as much as the others.
“Guns N’ Roses are OK,” Dylan said in a 1990 interview with Eduardo Bueno. “Slash is OK. But there’s something about their version of that song that reminds me of the movie Invasion Of The Body Snatchers. I always wonder who’s been transformed into some sort of a clone and who’s stayed true to himself. And I never seem to have an answer.”
While Dylan gave it a less-than-stellar review, the Guns N’ Roses version did perform better than the original in specific markets. It was a No. 1 hit in several countries, including Ireland, Belgium, Portugal, and the Netherlands, and reached the top 10 in the U.K., New Zealand, Norway, France, Sweden, and Switzerland.
