Dolly Parton's Final Recorded Vocal Was for a U2 Song, and Bono Says He Still Can't Listen to It

Bono says he still can't bring himself to listen to the duet Dolly Parton recorded just months before she died, a song that took months of courtship and tweaking to get right.

Just months before her death, Dolly Parton recorded what would become her final vocal performance, a duet for U2 called “Torn.” The song was the final track on the band’s latest album, “Carnaval De Luz,” and U2 frontman Bono admits he still can’t listen to it.

In their latest interview with Rolling Stone, the band opened up about their experience working with Parton in the months leading up to her death. Parton had already been ill when she recorded the song in early June.

"When she got ill, she got out of her bed to sing this song," Bono recalled. "And you can hear that. And I can't even listen to it now."

Meanwhile, U2 guitarist The Edge heard something deeper in Parton’s recording toward the end of the song, which closed with the lyrics, “Every heart is torn.” "It's like keening at the end," he said, "the Irish keening at the funeral. And she's got that in her blood."

It took a while for the collaboration to happen, with Bono admitting, "There's a courtship involved," adding with admiration, "There's a chase. Dolly Parton is a sassy lady … Flirtation is part of her persona, and she doesn't wanna grow out of it."

He even gifted her bagpipes on her birthday, as he was initially wooing her for a project inspired by Irish roots. But she wasn’t interested in the songs he presented her, including one song, “Lifelong,” telling him it was “a little too Irish.”

Parton eventually sent the band a song of her own, a story of a woman torn between two men. With the help of Snow Patrol’s Johnny McDaid, Bono tweaked the lyrics to reflect a mother caught between two feuding sons and considered calling it “Civil War” before finally naming it “Torn.”

A few other things were done to get the song right, taking into consideration Parton’s fans. "It's Dolly Parton, and you don't want to not have the people who love Dolly Parton listen to it," album producer Garret "Jacknife" Lee said. After Bono decided on a sci-fi folk sound, Lee fixed it to make it more grounded. Then music producer Daniel Lanois added pedal steel and U2 drummer Larry Mullen Jr. created the drum track inspired by Bob Dylan’s “Most of the Time.”

Dolly Parton attends "Dolly: An Original Musical" fireside chat and press conference at The Fisher Center for the Performing Arts on January 28, 2025 in Nashville | Source: Getty Images

Bono also recalled struggling to sing alongside Parton and finally deciding to just get out of her way. "I'm just gonna have to just talk, basically, and just let her do what she does,” he said. “She sang her heart out, and I cannot believe that's an 80-year-old woman."

Parton was ultimately happy with the final song, with Lee recalling, "Dolly loved it," adding, “She was so proud of her vocal … We were very nervous that she would be uncomfortable with it, but she loved it."

For the Edge, Parton will always be someone who could unite people from opposite sides of the cultural landscape. "She managed to get accepted by both sides and beloved by everyone," he said. "And she did it, as Bono pointed out today, with humor. Humor was her secret weapon. And no tyrant has a defense against humor, turns out."

“Carnaval De Luz” is U2’s 16th studio album and their first featuring new material in nine years. The album’s release coincides with an important milestone: it’s been 50 years since Mullen pinned a handwritten note on a bulletin board in search of band members. The album has 12 tracks featuring themes of “spirituality, friendship, freedom and endurance in the face of dark, encroaching forces,” according to the band’s website, and will be released on November 13.