Dolly Parton’s Final Vocal Recording Is A Duet With An Unexpected Collaborator: U2
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It’s been a month since the “Queen of Country,” Dolly Parton, died at the age of 80.
Now, a release date has been announced for the album bearing her final vocal recording, and it’s from an unlikely source.
This November, Irish rock band U2 will be releasing its first album in nine years, titled Carnaval De Luz, and it features a duet between U2’s frontman, Bono, and Dolly.
In a Sept. 24 interview with Rolling Stone, Bono shared about the experience working with Dolly, saying at one point, “When she got ill, she got out of her bed to sing this song. And you can hear that. And I can’t even listen to it now.”
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All About Dolly Parton’s Final Recording
On Nov. 12, U2 will release its 16th studio album, Carnaval De Luz, and its final track is a duet between Dolly Parton and Bono.
The song, titled “Torn,” happens to be the final vocal recording by Dolly, who died on Aug. 25.
Speaking with Rolling Stone, Bono shared how the song came about, saying it was recorded in June.
Initially, it was Bono’s hope to work with Dolly on a project focused upon Irish folk music, which is something Dolly has experience recording.
While on the phone with Dolly, Bono said he played samples of material he was working on, recalling, “She said, ‘That’s a little too Irish for me.’ But she said, ‘I got this song. It’s called ‘Torn,’ and do you wanna see where you can take it somewhere else, maybe?’”
Working with Johnny McDaid, of the Irish band Snow Patrol, Bono worked with what Dolly had provided for “Torn,” crafting the lyrics around the story of a mother as she watches her family split apart.
After the changes were made, Dolly agreed to collaborate on the song, and Bono told Rolling Stone, “She sang her heart out, and I cannot believe that’s an 80-year-old woman.”
Ultimately, Dolly approved the final mix of the song.
The album’s producer, Garret “Jacknife” Lee, said that “Dolly loved it,” adding, “She was so proud of her vocal and the recording. She was thrilled with it. We were very nervous that she might not approve, or would be uncomfortable with it, but she loved it.”
Reflecting on the loss of Dolly, Bono told Rolling Stone, “It’s very moving to have had these intimacies with such a figure. The fact that they’re not there now, in any way you can call back, other than through her songs, is very sobering.”
While the U2 song featuring Dolly Parton, “Torn,” is not yet available, Dolly has recorded Irish folk songs in the past.
Working with the Irish folk band Altan, Dolly has recorded several songs, including a live recording from a performance at Dollywood of “Barbara Allen,” featured on the 1994 Dolly album Heartsongs: Live From Home.
She also worked with Altan on the song “In the Sweet Bye & Bye,” from her 2001 album Little Sparrow; as well as contributing vocals to “The Pretty Young Girl” on Altan’s 2002 album The Blue Idol.
Listen to Dolly Parton perform “Barbara Allen” with Irish folk group Altan, here:
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