Irish rock supergroup U2 enlisted Dolly Parton for a rare feature for their 16th studio album Carnaval De Luzto be released in November.
Parton, who died of cancer last month, co-stars on the new record’s final track titled Torn, believed to be her final recorded vocal performance.
It is not known when the country queen laid down her vocals but it is likely it was last year before ill health forced her to postpone her Las Vegas residency in September 2025 before cancelling it altogether in May.
U2 frontman Bono surprised his singing partner for her 80th birthday in January, sending Nashville-based musician Patrick D’Arcy to her home to play “Happy Birthday” while presenting her with a cake that read “Love … Bono”.
Parton laughed and joked with the piper, asking, “Are you calling me an old bag?”
It appears Bono referenced their Torn duet with a cryptic Easter egg when he paid tribute to Parton after her death on August 25.
“Every heart is torn,” was the caption accompanying a sketch drawn by Bono of the singer with lyrics written across it.
The song, co-written by U2, Parton and Snow Patrol’s Johnny McDaid, is described as “a tender country song detailing broken family ties that holds wider resonances.”
U2’s new album, released on November 13, is their first record in nine years but bookends a prolific year for Bono, The Edge, Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen Jr. as they mark their 50th anniversary.
They shared the politically-charged Days of Ash EP in February to mark Ash Wednesday and followed by the Easter Lily EP in April.
Bono and his bandmates broke their own global embargo about eight hours before the big album reveal in a new episode of the Irish Times podcast Drummer Seeks Musicians: The Making of U2.
The announcement comes as they celebrated the formation of the band at high school in Dublin on September 25, 1976.
During the conversation with his bandmates he asked if allowed to disclose the album title.
“I can’t say it. I’m going to say it,” he said. “The new album is called Carnaval de Luz.
He said the band were brimming with excitement about the new songs, including new single Silencio released today.
“The song, that recording and this album we’ve made, we’ve caught it again. And it’s strong stuff,” he said.
Fans got their first taste of the record in July with the single “Field of Dreams”, accompanied by a video shot in Mexico City.
Other collaborators on the album include longtime studio companions Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois, Dutch hitmaker Martin Garrix who recently worked with Madonna, and go-to American pop producer Ryan Tedder.
The carnival vibe of the album title was reflected in Bono’s statement when officially announcing the drop.
“Roll up, roll up, roll up! Bring your purple socks, your broken hearts, your rose-tinted naivety … oh be amazed in the hall of mirrors. There will be loud guitars, deep bass, some ecstatic rhythms and, yes, some silver tears will make an appearance!” he offered.
“‘Cause in the near distance just outside our carnival of light there are all kinds of creatures … the same imagination that brings us our creativity can also bring us monsters. So we make the drums louder. We build a bigger fire. We make our stories wilder and funnier.
“We make the melodies sweeter and the songs, they better shine, because if the world is in darkness we better not be.”
The Edge was more about the music.
“It’s a messy, provocative, sacred collection of songs — and features the first-ever use of flat-wound strings on a U2 recording. Just saying,” he said.
Silencio and its music video, also shot in Mexico City, are out now.