Dolly Parton Left Behind One Final Vocal… And The Story Of How She Got Out Of Bed To Record It Has Left Bono Struggling
Dolly Parton’s Final Recording Was a Duet With Bono on U2’s New Album
Dolly Parton’s final recorded vocal will arrive this fall on U2’s new album, Carnaval de Luz, in a song that Bono says is still too emotional for him to hear.
Parton recorded her part for “Torn” in June, just months before her death in August at age 80. The song, a duet with Bono, will close U2’s 16th studio album when it is released on Nov. 13. U2 has also confirmed that the track became Parton’s final recorded vocal performance.
Bono recalled the circumstances of the recording in an interview with Rolling Stone, describing how Parton continued working on the song despite being ill.
“When she got ill,” he said, “she got out of her bed to sing this song. And you can hear that. And I can’t even listen to it now.”
The recording gives Parton a final musical appearance spanning the seven-decade career that made her one of country music’s most recognizable figures. U2’s official announcement describes “Torn” as a tender country song about broken family ties, co-written by U2, Parton and Snow Patrol’s Johnny McDaid.
How Dolly Parton and Bono Came to Record “Torn”
The collaboration began with a different idea.
Bono had approached Parton about contributing to a still-unreleased side project influenced by Irish folk music. He played her several musical sketches over the phone, but Parton apparently felt the material leaned too heavily in an Irish direction.
“She said, ‘That’s a little too Irish for me,’” Bono recalled.
Parton then suggested another possibility. She told Bono she had a song called “Torn” and asked whether he wanted to take it in a different direction.
That suggestion became the foundation for the eventual U2 collaboration.
Bono and McDaid reworked the lyrics around a mother watching her family come apart. Parton agreed to record the revised version, turning what had begun as one of her own songs into a collaboration with U2.
Bono was struck by the intensity of her performance.
“She sang her heart out,” he said, adding that he could hardly believe the voice belonged to an 80-year-old singer.
Daniel Lanois and Larry Mullen Jr. Joined the Recording
The finished track also brought together several musicians with longstanding connections to U2.
Daniel Lanois, a longtime U2 collaborator, contributes pedal steel to “Torn.” Larry Mullen Jr. added drums, with his part drawing inspiration from a Lanois production of Bob Dylan’s “Most of the Time.”
The combination gives the song a country-leaning sound while retaining the involvement of musicians closely associated with U2’s recording history.
The album itself was produced by Garret “Jacknife” Lee, who also played a role in overseeing the final version of “Torn.” U2’s official album information lists Lee as the producer of Carnaval de Luz, which contains 12 songs.
Dolly Parton Heard the Finished Song
One of the most significant details about the recording is that Parton was able to hear the completed mix before her death.
Lee said the team had been concerned that she might not approve of the finished version or could feel uncomfortable with the recording. Instead, according to the producer, Parton was pleased with what she heard.
“Dolly loved it,” Lee said. “She was so proud of her vocal and the recording. She was thrilled with it.”
That approval gives “Torn” a different significance from many posthumous releases. Parton did not simply leave behind a previously unreleased vocal for others to assemble. She heard the completed track and approved the final mix herself.
“Torn” Will Close Carnaval de Luz
“Torn” is the final track on Carnaval de Luz, U2’s first album of new material in nine years. The 12-track record is scheduled for release on Nov. 13, 2026, and is the band’s 16th studio album.
The album was produced by Lee and features several other collaborations, but Parton’s appearance carries particular weight because it became her final recorded vocal performance.
U2’s official track listing places “Torn” at No. 12 and identifies it as a duet featuring Parton. The album also includes collaborations with artists including Rosalía, Brian Eno and Martin Garrix, while Lanois contributes pedal steel to “Torn.”
For Bono, the recording has become inseparable from the loss of the singer he had only recently worked with.
“It’s very moving to have had these intimacies with such a figure,” he told Rolling Stone. “The fact that they’re not there now, in any way you can call back, other than through her songs, is very sobering.”
A Final Recording From an Extraordinary Career
Parton’s voice will therefore close U2’s new album with a performance recorded only months before her death.
The timing of the session makes the story especially poignant. Parton recorded “Torn” in June, was able to hear and approve the final mix, and died in August at 80. U2 will release the finished collaboration on Nov. 13 as the closing song of Carnaval de Luz.
The recording is not the only posthumous Parton release to emerge. Another recently released track, the Stanley Brothers tribute “Bound to Ride,” dates from much earlier, around 2022. “Torn,” by contrast, represents the final vocal recording of her career.
For Bono, that distinction makes the song difficult to revisit. Parton’s last performance was created in the middle of a collaboration that neither artist knew would become a final chapter. Now, her voice will provide the closing moments of U2’s new album, preserving one last musical meeting between two major artists.
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