10 Amazing Rock Songs Written For Movies
5. Knockin on Heaven's Door - Guns N Roses
For all the sleazy rock and classic solos, Guns N Roses wasn't music that you had to take all that seriously. Ever since the hair metal craze had started to get stale, these guys brought rock back to its roots in a way few other artists could, built on the foundation of Slash's guitar and Axl Rose's feral shout. So putting a band like this in a movie soundtrack sounded a little suspect, and yet they turned in what might be one of their finest works.
While originally commissioned to deliver a song for the soundtrack to End of Days, GNR figured they throw their hat in the ring with a cover of a Bob Dylan song that they had been playing in their live sets for years. Adding their signature flavor, Knockin on Heaven's Door transforms Dylan's original folk ballad into one of the greatest metal singalongs in history, as Axl Rose's voice sits somewhere between crooning and shouting at the same time.
The track ended up working out so well that Guns eventually included it on their double album opus Use Your Illusion, where it remained a fan favorite ever since its release. Even with all of the movie soundtrack effects added in afterwards, Guns were able to separate their song from the movie entirely and create a track that sounds like a desperate cry for life.