Dolly Parton's final U2 song leaves Bono unable to listen: 'I can't even listen to it'
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: U2’s Bono shared a rare insight into Dolly Parton’s final track with him, recorded just two months before her death. During an interview, the singer revealed that Parton recorded her vocals for the song in June, two months before her death on August 25 at the age of 80.
The song, titled 'Torn,' will appear on the Irish band’s new album, 'Carnaval De Luz.' Previously, the singer shared a heartfelt tribute to Parton.
U2’s Bono says Dolly Parton got off bed rest for her final song
The duet with Bono is “a tender country song detailing broken family ties that holds wider resonances.” Parton co-wrote the track with the group and Snow Patrol’s Johnny McDaid. “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,” he added.
“But,” he noted, “she said, ‘I got this song. It’s called ‘Torn,’ and do you wanna see where you can take it somewhere else, maybe?’” “She sang her heart out,” says Bono, “and I cannot believe that’s an 80-year-old woman.”
He added, “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.”
For Bono, Parton’s death is still settling in. “It’s very moving to have had these intimacies with such a figure,” he says. “The fact that they’re not there now, in any way you can call back, other than through her songs, is very sobering.”
Bono also shared a sketch of the Queen of Country over words he had written on Instagram. “Every heart is torn,” he captioned the post.
Dolly Parton dies at 80 after a legendary music and acting career
Parton’s death came as a shock to Hollywood and the music industry following her brief battle with cancer. Her death was announced by her nephew, Brian Seaver, on Instagram. “I have imagined the heaviness of this moment but haven’t truly felt it until now,” he wrote. “It is an honour, an honour that is mixed with absolute pride and great sadness.”
Parton’s team also confirmed her death, saying, “Dolly departed her Earthly life today at the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center surrounded by loved ones.” The country music legend left behind a remarkable career spanning decades. Songs like 'Jolene,' '9 to 5,' and 'I Will Always Love You' helped establish her as a global icon.
She also built a successful acting career, appearing in films including '9 to 5,' 'Steel Magnolias,' and 'The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas.'
