“I love ‘em both and I just feel so torn,” Dolly Parton sings on “Torn,” her posthumous duet with Bono released on Friday.
The legendary country musician co-wrote the track about broken family ties with U2 and Irish singer-songwriter Johnny McDaid, according to cnn.com. She recorded her vocals in Nashville in June, making the collaboration her final recorded performance before her death from cancer on August 25 at age 80.
The song closes U2’s 16th studio album, “Carnaval de Luz” (“Carnival of Light”), which marks the rock band’s first LP of new material in nine years. The 24-track deluxe project connects the new music with the band’s earlier surprise EPs, “Days of Ash” and “Easter Lily.”
Recording the Final Duet in Nashville
Parton recorded her part in June while battling the illness that would claim her life two months later. U2 frontman Bono told Rolling Stone in September that the recording session required immense strength from the country icon.
“When she got ill, she got out of her bed to sing this song. And you can hear that. And I can’t even listen to it now,”
Before her passing, Parton approved the final mix and sent a message to Bono on June 2, which was shared in a joint Instagram post by her official account and the band.
“Hope you like what I did. I did quite a few things. Take from it what you want and what you need, but I love the song, and I think it could be something really special,” Dolly Parton wrote to Bono on June 2, according to cnn.com.
How the Collaboration Came Together
Guitarist The Edge explained to the “Today” show that the band had been experimenting with various collaborations when they decided to reach out to Parton. “There was a song called 'Lifelong' I played to her over the phone,” Bono said, according to the article.
Parton turned down that specific track, telling Bono it was too Irish for where her voice was at the time. Instead, she offered her own composition, “Torn,” giving the rock band permission to take it in any musical direction they chose.
The closing track features steadfast U2 collaborator Daniel Lanois on pedal steel, adding a gentle synth pulse and spare drums behind the vocals, Pitchfork reported. Island Records released several variations of the track on Friday, including a Kent Wells version and a T Bone Burnett take.
Dolly Parton Leaves Unreleased Music in a Sealed Vault
While “Torn” marks Parton’s final vocal release, it is not the last piece of unreleased music left behind by the legendary artist. Pitchfork reported that an unheard recording titled “My Place in History” rests inside a vault at Dollywood, scheduled to remain sealed until Parton’s 100th birthday in 2046.
Meanwhile, U2 representatives said that the band is planning a 2027 live tour titled “Carnaval De Luz presents: The Greatest Show On Earth World Tour” to translate the new album to the stage, according to Billboard.
Questions About the Posthumous Release
When did Dolly Parton record her vocals for “Torn”?
Parton recorded her vocals in Nashville in June, just two months before her death from cancer on August 25 at the age of 80.
What album features the duet?
The song is the closing track on U2’s 16th studio album, “Carnaval de Luz” (“Carnival of Light”), which dropped on Friday as the band’s first LP of new material in nine years.
Who co-wrote the track?
The song was co-written by U2, Dolly Parton, and Snow Patrol singer-songwriter Johnny McDaid.
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