Dolly Parton's Final Recording Released as U2 Drops Heartbreaking Duet 'Torn'
Dolly Parton's final recorded vocal performance is out now. The late country legend sings alongside Bono on "Torn," the closing track on U2's new album, "Carnaval de Luz," which was released Friday, Nov. 13.
Parton recorded her vocals in Nashville in June, about two months before she died of cancer on Aug. 25 at age 80. According to Bono, she was so determined to finish the song that she got out of her sickbed to sing it.
A Song About a Family Torn Apart
"Torn" is a country duet that Parton co-wrote with U2 and Johnny McDaid of Snow Patrol, according to WAPT. The song is about broken family ties and centers on a mother watching her family split apart.
The track has also been described as a metaphor for political division in the United States, with Parton singing about a family at war, according to PinkNews.
U2's 16th studio album closes with "Torn," and Bono said that placement felt right. "I think it's probably the right song to finish 'Carnaval de Luz,'" he said.
A country version of the song, "Torn" (Kent Wells Version), also got an all-day radio premiere on Nov. 12 across outlets including iHeart, SiriusXM and Music Choice.
How Dolly Parton and Bono Teamed Up
The collaboration started with a different idea. Bono first asked Parton to join an Irish folk-inspired side project, but she turned him down, saying it was "a little too Irish for me," according to American Songwriter.
Instead, Parton offered Bono one of her own songs, called "Torn," and suggested he take it in a new direction. Bono and McDaid then reworked the lyrics into the version that appears on the album.
Parton seemed thrilled with how it was coming together. In a June 2 message to Bono shared on Instagram by her team, she wrote, "I love the song, and I think it could be something really special."
She added a sweet note to the U2 frontman: "Thanks for including me in your life. I've always loved you and always will."
Bono Says She Got Out of Bed to Sing
Bono has opened up about how much Parton gave to the recording, even while she was sick.
"When she got ill, she got out of her bed to sing this song," Bono, 66, told Rolling Stone. "And you can hear that."
He said Parton "sang her heart out" and that he could hardly believe she was 80 years old, according to Taste of Country.
The band had worried that Parton might not like the finished track. But producer Garret "Jacknife" Lee said she was proud of her vocal and "loved it."
Still, the song is hard for Bono to hear now. Knowing that she sang it while ill makes it painful, and he said he "can't even listen to it now." He has also described her absence as "very sobering."
Dolly Parton's Music Lives On
Parton, an 11-time Grammy winner, was known for her ballads of love and heartbreak, and "Torn" is the latest release to keep her voice on the airwaves since her death.
In September, fans also got her first posthumous song, "Bound to Ride." Her representatives said she died after a "brief battle with cancer."
Tributes to the singer have continued in the months since, including a CMAs tribute special featuring Ella Langley and Reba McEntire. Miley Cyrus, Parton's goddaughter, also tearfully honored her with a performance of "Jolene" at the Hollywood Bowl.
For fans, "Torn" offers one last chance to hear Parton's voice on a brand-new song, recorded just two months before her death.
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