Overview
- U2 released Carnaval de Luz on Friday, November 13, and the album closes with “Torn,” presented by the band and Parton’s team as Dolly Parton’s last recorded vocal performance.
- Parton recorded her vocals in Nashville in June 2026 and approved the final mix before her death on August 25, 2026, according to producers and the singer’s official communications.
- The song was co-written by Dolly Parton, U2 and Johnny McDaid, with U2 reworking Parton’s original treatment into lyrics about a family divided by wider political differences.
- Multiple versions of “Torn” were released: the album mix plus alternate treatments including a Kent Wells country version that premiered on country radio on November 12 and a T Bone Burnett take; the recordings feature collaborators such as producer Garret “Jacknife” Lee, Daniel Lanois on pedal steel and a drum part by Larry Mullen Jr.
- Band members and producers have framed the track as an intimate, unifying farewell and the release has prompted wider cultural reflection on Parton’s legacy while her estate says an unreleased archival recording will remain sealed until her 100th birthday.