Bob Dylan is a cryptic person. He has been this way for the majority of his career; thus, nobody knows who he is or why he does what he does. He’s never been one for transparency, and as a result, fans of his are always left guessing about him and his motivations. On a few occasions, Dylan has ditched this disposition and been frank, and one time when he was brutally honest was when he approached Axl Rose and Guns N’ Roses to cover “Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door”.

Bob Dylan released the original rendition of the song in 1983 for the film Pat Garrett & Billy The Kid. Years later, Dylan approached Axl Rose to record “Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door”; subsequently, they released the song in 1991. Bob Dylan and Guns N’ Roses aren’t all that comparable; given this fact, it is rather surprising to learn that Dylan approached Rose to cover the song. However, Dylan didn’t do it because he admired the hair metal band. Rather, he did it for a much simpler reason: money.

In 1991, Guns N’ Roses had just come off a highly successful 80s run. Bob Dylan’s run in the 80s was not of the same magnitude. So, seemingly, to garner some success and money, Dylan approached the popular band. Recalling how Dylan approached him, Rose stated during a show in Taiwan, “Bob asked me, ‘When you gonna record ‘Heaven’s Door’?’ And I said, ‘I don’t know, but we really love that song,’” per the Vulture.

“And he said, ‘I don’t give a f— I just want the money.’ True story,” continued Rose. Needless to say, Dylan’s desire for lucrative success came to fruition. While the cover didn’t receive any significant chart rankings or certifications, the song became a very popular cover and, to this day, it is one of Guns N’ Roses’ most popular songs.

Bob Dylan wasn’t awfully impressed with the cover of the song. Although, as he stated, he just wanted the revenue it would generate. Concerning his opinion of the song, Dylan told Eduardo Bueno in 1991, “Guns N’ Roses is OK, Slash is OK, but there’s something about their version of the song that reminds me of the movie Invasion of the Body Snatchers,” via Rock and Roll Garage. Well, this might tarnish your perspective on the song, but hey, at least Bob Dylan was upfront with Guns N’ Roses. And given its success, both parties got something out of it.

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