The legendary voice of Dolly Parton is back for one last rodeo, months after her death.
U2 released their 16th studio album Friday, “Carnaval de Luz” (“Carnival of Light”), which ends with the song “Torn,” a duet between the Irish rock band’s lead singer, Bono, and Parton.
The 11-time Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter, known for her ballads of love and heartbreak, opens the song with gentle hums, followed by soft then powerful vocals.
“I can’t deny this passion and desire, but I know it has to burn me,” Parton sings.
“Standing this close to the fire, what am I supposed to do?” she continues.
“And how am I supposed to choose? I love ‘em both and I just feel so torn.”
The song’s final lyrics, “Every heart is torn,” echo the sentiments of fans across the world after the beloved star died from cancer in August.
Dolly Parton, who rose from humble beginnings to the greatest heights of American music and became one of the country’s most philanthropic, unifying and beloved stars, has died, according to a family statement. She was 80.
According to her official website , Parton co-wrote the country song about broken family ties with U2 and Irish singer-songwriter Johnny McDaid.
She recorded it in Nashville in June, making the duet her last recorded vocal performance before her death.
“Hope you like what I did. I did quite a few things. Take from it what you want and what you need, but I love the song, and I think it could be something really special,” Dolly wrote to Bono on June 2, an image shared by her official Instagram account in a joint post with U2 shows. “Thanks for including me in your life. I’ve always loved you and always will.”
”When she got ill, she got out of her bed to sing this song. And you can hear that,” Bono told Rolling Stone for U2’s September cover story. “And I can’t even listen to it now.”
Asked how the song came about, in an interview on the “ Today ” show released Friday, U2’s lead guitarist, keyboardist and vocalist The Edge said, “We were trying out a lot of collaboration and one of the thoughts was that we might do something with Dolly.”
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“We sent her this couple of — these kind of folk songs we were working on,” Bono said. “There was a song called ‘Lifelong’ I played to her over the phone.”
“She goes, ‘That’s a little too Irish for me. Just for where my voice is right now,’” Bono continued, trying to emulate Parton’s voice. “And then she said, ‘You know I got a song called ‘Torn.’ You can take it wherever you want, and maybe I’ll like where you take it.’”
“I think it’s probably the right song to finish ‘Carnaval de Luz,’” he added.
