Dolly Parton’s final recorded vocal was a June duet with Bono, “Torn.” Bono said she got out of bed to record it while ill. It will close U2’s Carnaval De Luz, due Nov. 13; producer Garret “Jacknife” Lee said she approved the final mix before her death on Aug. 25.
Parton offered “Torn” after declining Bono’s earlier proposal for a separate side project inspired by Irish folk music, saying it was “a little too Irish.” Bono and Snow Patrol musician Johnny McDaid reworked the lyrics. A press release describes the closing track as a tender country song about broken family ties; Carnaval De Luz is U2’s 16th studio album and its first new material in nine years.
