Dolly Parton's final vocal is Bono duet for U2 album in November

Dolly Parton's final vocal recording across a seven-decade career will be heard as a duet with Bono on U2's next album. The song, "Torn," is the closing track, the last song in the running order, on Carnaval de Luz. The album is scheduled for release on Nov. 13, Bono confirmed in an interview with Rolling Stone published on Sept. 24, 2026.

Parton recorded her vocal in June. She died in August at age 80. Bono told Rolling Stone that when Parton became ill, she got out of her bed to sing "Torn."

Parton shares a writing credit, the formal recognition of who created a song, on "Torn" with U2 and Johnny McDaid of Snow Patrol. Bono said he and McDaid rewrote the lyrics around a mother watching her family split apart. That rewrite placed Parton at the centre of the story the song tells.

Parton heard and approved the final mix, the finished balance of voices and instruments cleared for release, before it was locked. Producer Garret "Jacknife" Lee said she loved her vocal and the recording and was proud and thrilled with it. His account points to a performance she endorsed in full.

The recording brings together players from outside U2's core line-up. Daniel Lanois plays pedal steel guitar, the sliding-stringed instrument heard across much country music, on "Torn." Drummer Larry Mullen Jr. added a drum part inspired by Lanois's production of Bob Dylan's "Most of the Time."

Bono said he first approached Parton about a different project, a still-unreleased side effort inspired by Irish folk music. That initial idea did not result in a release. The conversation instead led to the U2 collaboration that became "Torn."

The timing matters because another posthumous recording exists. "Bound to Ride," a tribute to the Stanley Brothers, was recorded around 2022. That date places it much earlier than the June session for "Torn." Bono's account therefore identifies "Torn" as Parton's last vocal recording, not an earlier track issued after her death.

What makes this stand out is the narrow window between recording and release. A June vocal, an August death, a September announcement and a November album. Each date is confirmed by the band or by Bono's interview.

For listeners, this means the first chance to hear the duet will come with the album in November. Carnaval de Luz is U2's first studio album in nine years, according to U2. The band also confirmed that "Silencio," the second track on the record, was out now as of Sept. 24, 2026.