U2 have confirmed that Dolly Parton’s final recording, a duet called “Torn”, will close their new album Carnaval de Luz when it arrives on Friday 13 November 2026. The country star recorded her vocal in June 2026, less than three months before her death at the age of 80.
Bono told the BBC in Dublin on 6 November 2026 that the band knew Parton was unwell when they recorded together, but had no idea the session would become her last vocal performance. The revelation has put the closing track of U2’s first album of new material in nine years at the centre of the week’s music news.
| Detail | Confirmed position |
|---|---|
| Song | “Torn” — duet between Bono and Dolly Parton, track 12 and closing track |
| Album | Carnaval de Luz, U2’s 16th studio album |
| Album release date | Friday 13 November 2026, via Island Records |
| Recorded | June 2026 |
| Songwriters | U2, Dolly Parton and Johnny McDaid |
| Pedal steel | Daniel Lanois |
| Producer (album) | Jacknife Lee |
| Album length | 12 songs; first album of new material in nine years |
| Parton died | 25 August 2026, aged 80, after a battle with cancer |
| U2 tour | Carnaval De Luz Presents: The Greatest Show On Earth, 2027; London dates 18 and 19 June 2027 |
Inside the Dolly Parton Final Recording Session
Parton recorded her part for “Torn” in June 2026, while her health was already declining. Bono told Rolling Stone in September that she got out of her bed to sing the song, and that the effort is audible in the recording. “When she got ill, she got out of her bed to sing this song. And you can hear that,” he said. “And I can’t even listen to it now.”
The session began with a different plan. Bono had sent Parton a set of bagpipes for her birthday, then played her demos for a Celtic folk project U2 were considering. She turned one song down, telling him it was “a little too Irish for me”, and offered a song of her own instead. That song was “Torn”, which she had started years earlier.
U2’s own announcement describes the track as the song that connects the album with the two six-track EPs the band released without warning earlier in 2026, Days of Ash and Easter Lily. The band will have released 24 new songs across 2026, their 50th year.
From a Love Song to a Song About Divided Families
Parton’s original version of “Torn” told of a woman torn between two men. Bono and Snow Patrol songwriter Johnny McDaid reshaped the lyric with her into a song about families divided by politics, and about a mother watching her family fall apart. The finished version keeps the country ballad shape of Parton’s original, with Daniel Lanois on pedal steel.
Bono said the band knew Parton was ill but never imagined the session would be her last. “We knew she was ill, but we had no idea that it’d be her last vocal,” he told the BBC. The band have described the duet as one of the most emotional moments of their fifty-year career.
The reworked lyric gives the album its closing note. Carnaval de Luz is presented by the band as a record about spirituality, friendship, freedom and endurance, and “Torn” lands those themes in a single family story rather than a grand statement.
The Car Journey When Bono Heard the News
Bono was with R.E.M. frontman Michael Stipe in a car when the news of Parton’s death arrived on 25 August 2026. He told the BBC that Stipe fell down and started sobbing when he heard it, and that he felt shock himself, having recorded with her less than three months earlier.
Parton died at the age of 80 after a battle with cancer. Her team did not publicly disclose the type of cancer. The timing still frames how the recording is heard: a singer who knew she was seriously ill, choosing to get up and sing one more song, and a band who only understood what they had captured once she was gone.
What Carnaval de Luz Holds Beyond Torn
The album is U2’s 16th studio record, produced by Jacknife Lee, and their first album of new material in nine years. It arrives on 13 November 2026 through Island Records, with 12 tracks including collaborations with Rosalía on “The Mirror Maker” and the single “The Greatest Show On Earth”.
| No. | Track |
|---|---|
| 1 | Go (Carnaval de Luz) |
| 2 | La Reina |
| 3 | Street Of Dreams |
| 4 | The Mirror Maker (Rosalía) |
| 5 | Superficiality |
| 6 | If The World Is At War We Better Not Be |
| 7 | Silencio |
| 8 | The Greatest Show On Earth |
| 9 | Glorify |
| 10 | Midnight Sunshine |
| 11 | Can’t Stop Us Now |
| 12 | Torn (feat. Dolly Parton) |
For UK fans, the album is also the record behind next summer’s stadium return. Our report on U2’s 2027 London stadium dates sets out the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium shows on 18 and 19 June 2027, with Wolf Alice supporting every date on the UK and European leg. The band have ruled out any suggestion that the album or the tour is a farewell, with Bono telling Virgin Radio UK that they are not saying goodbye.
The week has also brought a run of new music from established acts. Our report on James Blunt’s Airplane Mode album, released on 6 November 2026, covers another veteran artist returning with a full record this month. For the official album details, see U2’s official album announcement, and for Bono’s account of learning of Parton’s death, see Parade’s report of Bono’s BBC interview.
What Torn Is Not — Clearing Up the Rumours
Three points need stating plainly. First, “Torn” is not a posthumous reconstruction: Parton sang it herself, in a studio, in June 2026, and the vocal on the album is that performance. Second, the track has not been released as a single ahead of the album, so the full duet will be heard for the first time when Carnaval de Luz arrives on 13 November. Third, the album is not a farewell record, and U2 have said so directly while announcing a world tour that runs into 2027.
Frequently Asked Questions About Dolly Parton’s Final Recording
What is Dolly Parton’s final recording?
“Torn”, a duet with Bono that closes U2’s album Carnaval de Luz. U2 have confirmed it was Parton’s last recorded vocal performance.
When was Torn recorded?
Parton recorded her vocal in June 2026, less than three months before her death on 25 August 2026, aged 80.
When is Carnaval de Luz released?
Friday 13 November 2026, through Island Records. It is U2’s 16th studio album and their first album of new material in nine years.
Who wrote Torn?
U2, Dolly Parton and Johnny McDaid are credited as co-writers. Daniel Lanois plays pedal steel on the track.
Will U2 play Torn on tour?
That has not been publicly verified. The 2027 Greatest Show On Earth tour is described as career-spanning, but no setlist has been confirmed, and this article does not guess whether “Torn” will feature.
