U2 Unveils Dolly Parton Collaboration ‘Torn,’ Recorded Weeks Before Her Passing

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It’s been nearly three months since the world lost country music legend Dolly Parton.

Now, fans can hear what is believed to be her final vocal performance, recorded just weeks before her passing on August 25: “Torn,” a collaboration with Irish rock band U2.

‘Torn (Kent Wells Version)’

On Thursday, November 12, a country version of the single “Torn” made its debut.

Titled “Torn (Kent Wells Version),” the single is an alternate version of the song that will appear as the final track on U2’s upcoming “Carnaval De Luz” album when it debuts on Friday, November 13.

According to a press release for the track, “Torn” was co-written by U2, Parton and Snow Patrol’s Johnny McDaid, featuring Parton accompanied by U2 frontman Bono. The single features Daniel Lanois playing pedal steel guitar, and was produced by Jacknife Lee.

The late country star’s estate shared a tease on social media, which included the letter that Parton wrote to Bono after recording her vocals during what would be her final weeks of life.

“Hey Bono,” Parton wrote. “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. Thanks for including me in your life. I’ve always loved you and always will.”

‘She Got Out of Her Bed to Sing This Song’

News of Parton’s collaboration with U2 was first revealed on September 24, when the band issued a press release announcing the November arrival of “Carnaval De Luz,” the band’s 16th studio album.

As Bono told Rolling Stone, Parton recorded her vocals in June, just two months before she passed away at 80.

“When she got ill, she got out of her bed to sing this song,” Bono told Rolling Stone. “And you can hear that. And I can’t even listen to it now.”

Dolly Parton ‘Sang Her Heart Out’

As Bono recounted for the magazine, he’d originally approached Parton about collaborating on what he described as “a still-unreleased side project inspired by Irish folk music.”

Her response, however, was not what he’d expected. “She said, ‘That’s a little too Irish for me,’” Bono told Rolling Stone. “But she said, ‘I got this song. It’s called “Torn,” and do you wanna see where you can take it somewhere else, maybe?’”

According to Bono, he and McDaid took what Parton had written and built upon it, reworking the lyrics so they come from the perspective of a mother observing her family fall apart around her.

When Bono sent Parton their version, she immediately agreed to provide her vocals for the track.

“She sang her heart out,” says Bono of what was sadly to be Parton’s final recorded vocal performance, “and I cannot believe that’s an 80-year-old woman.”

In addition to longtime U2 collaborator Daniel Lanois (who produced the band’s iconic “Joshua Tree” album), U2 drummer Larry Mullen Jr. provided a drum part inspired by Boby Dylan’s “Most of the Time,” which Lanois had also produced. 

As Bono told Rolling Stone, Parton was able to listen to the band’s final mix of “Torn” before her passing, and sent the band her approval to include it on the album.

“Dolly loved it,” the album’s producer, Garret “Jacknife” Lee, added.