U2 frontman Bono has opened up about the band’s upcoming album, “Carnaval de Luz,” which features one of Dolly Parton’s final recordings, according to Rolling Stone. The album’s closing track, “Torn,” is a duet between Bono and the late country music icon, who passed away this year. Bono discussed how the collaboration came together, Parton’s condition while recording her part, and why he now finds it difficult to listen to the finished song.
He explained how the song took shape after Parton felt an earlier idea didn’t suit her.
“She said, ‘That’s a little too Irish for me,'” Bono said. “But she said, ‘I got this song. It’s called ‘Torn,’ and do you wanna see where you can take it somewhere else, maybe?'”
Bono then described Parton’s vocal performance on the track, recorded not long before her death.
“She sang her heart out,” he said. “And I cannot believe that’s an 80-year-old woman.”
He went on to reveal the emotional toll of knowing the circumstances under which Parton recorded her vocals.
“When she got ill, she got out of her bed to sing this song,” Bono said. “And you can hear that. And I can’t even listen to it now.”
Bono went on to reflect on Parton’s legacy and their personal connection, speaking about what her absence now means to him.
“It’s very moving to have had these intimacies with such a figure,” he said. “The fact that they’re not there now, in any way you can call back, other than through her songs, is very sobering.”
The revelation lands alongside a broader rollout for the record. The album carries significant weight for the band well beyond the Parton duet.
“Carnaval de Luz” marks U2’s 16th studio album. It is the band’s first full-length collection of new material in nine years, ending one of the longest gaps between records in the group’s history. The album is set for release on November 13, 2026.
The band unveiled the news alongside “Silencio,” released as the album’s new single on the day of the announcement. It follows “Street of Dreams,” which was released earlier as the first song from the record. Fans now have two tracks to preview ahead of the full release.
“Torn” caps a twelve-track album that reunites U2 with producers Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois, the team behind era-defining records like “The Joshua Tree” and “Achtung Baby.” The song itself was co-written with Johnny McDaid of Snow Patrol. It brings together Parton’s vocals, Bono’s songwriting, and a production pedigree that has shaped some of U2’s most acclaimed work.
For Parton, “Torn” stands as one of the final vocal performances of her career, recorded while she was already ill. Bono’s account of her insistence on singing despite her condition adds to that significance. The track stands as both a personal farewell and a defining moment in U2’s long-awaited return.
