Dolly Parton is back with her last recorded vocal track: the song "Torn" has been released as a duet with Bono and closes U2's 16th studio album "Carnaval De Luz". The album came out on November 13 via Island Records. Parton, who died on August 25 at the age of 80, recorded her part in June in Nashville. The track is therefore one of the last recordings the country legend sang herself.
Alongside the album version, there is a second version titled "Torn (Kent Wells Version)", which draws more closely on traditional country. The Kent Wells version was played on US country radio on November 12 and thus targets the format in which Parton was at home for decades. The song was co-written by U2, Parton and Johnny McDaid of Snow Patrol. Daniel Lanois plays pedal steel, and Jacknife Lee produced the album version.
Originally, Parton envisioned a classic country song about a woman torn between two lovers. U2 reimagined the song around political division that tears families apart. The narrator is now a mother standing between estranged family members. Bono pointed out that Parton's own brothers were at odds for political reasons, and he placed the approach in line with the band's earlier collaboration with Johnny Cash. The connection between the material and Parton's own life is thus the core of the duet.
The release falls in a year in which U2 is putting out several projects in quick succession. The band had already released the EPs "Days Of Ash" and "Easter Lily" before the album followed. A stadium tour, "The Greatest Show On Earth", is planned for 2027 and will cover Latin America and Europe. Wolf Alice will support the concerts in Britain and Europe. Four concerts at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London are scheduled for June, underlining the scale of the tour in the United Kingdom.
Criticism of the album has been largely positive. The magazine NME awarded it three stars and praised its playful character, which also shows in its treatment of serious themes. At the same time, it was announced that Broadway star Megan Hilty will lead a tribute to Dolly Parton at the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade. Details of this performance are not yet available, but the announcement shows how present Parton remains in public life even after her death.