U2 Releases Dolly Parton’s Final Vocal on “Torn”

U2 released “Torn,” featuring Dolly Parton and Bono, as the closing track of its album “Carnaval de Luz” on November 13. The recording is being identified in reports as Parton’s final vocal performance, made before her death at age 80 on August 25, 2026.

Parton recorded her vocal in Nashville in June, according to reports about the collaboration. The final-vocal designation and recording details have been repeated across accounts, though the reports do not include recording documentation. Bono said in an interview that U2 had known Parton was ill but did not realize the session would be her last vocal recording.

A country arrangement, called the Kent Wells Version, received a radio premiere on November 12, ahead of the album’s release. Wells, Parton’s longtime producer, produced the alternate version. Big Machine Records was to promote and distribute it to country radio, according to the announcement. A second alternate version, produced by T Bone Burnett, was also released alongside the album track, according to one account.

The song’s route to U2 began with an earlier idea from Bono. He said he approached Parton about a different project inspired by Irish folk music, but she...