Dolly Parton’s final recorded vocal reached country radio on Thursday, Nov. 12, in a duet with Bono called “Torn.” The Kent Wells version began airing a day before U2 releases Carnaval De Luz. The album, out Friday, Nov. 13, closes with a separate version of the duet. Both versions come from the same collaboration, which Parton recorded in Nashville in June.
The two releases have different listening routes. For Thursday’s version, try a participating country station. For the version on the U2 album, look for track 12 in the standard release. Parton’s official announcement calls the early airing a country-radio premiere, and the U.S. album listing identifies “Torn” as the final track.
Where to hear the country version
Look for “Torn (Kent Wells Version)” on country radio. Parton’s official announcement lists iHeart, Cumulus, Audacy, Beasley, Summit and Townsquare among the participating radio groups. It also names SiriusXM’s The Highway, Prime Country and Y2Country channels and Music Choice. The announcement describes airplay throughout Thursday, without promising a play at any particular minute.
iHeartCountry confirmed its participation and links to its country stream. That gives listeners a route even if they live outside the reach of a participating station. If you miss the broadcast, Friday’s album release is the confirmed way to hear the other version. The standard album track listing calls it “Torn (Feat. Dolly Parton),” without the Kent Wells label.
The Nashville recording
Parton recorded her vocal in Nashville in June 2026, according to her official site. She died Aug. 25 at 80. Her team says “Torn” was her final recorded vocal performance. U2, Parton and Johnny McDaid share the songwriting credit. McDaid is a member of Snow Patrol. The song is about strained family ties.
The album credits name Jacknife Lee as producer and Daniel Lanois on pedal steel. Lanois has a long history with U2, having co-produced The Joshua Tree and Achtung Baby. The steel guitar is part of the album arrangement, even though the early country-radio version carries a separate name. The band placed the song last on a 12-track rock album.
What comes with the new U2 album
U2’s album announcement calls Carnaval De Luz the band’s first album of new material in nine years. It follows two six-track EPs released earlier in 2026, Days of Ash and Easter Lily. The band says the records came out of the same period of work. U2 placed the album first in the sequence it had in mind, before the two EPs, although the EPs reached listeners first.
U2 released “Street of Dreams” in July and followed it with “Silencio.” The band filmed the “Silencio” video in Mexico City with directors Pasqual Gutiérrez and Raúl “RJ” Sanchez, who work together as Cliqua. On the album, Brian Eno is credited as a co-writer and synth player on three songs, including the opener and “The Greatest Show on Earth.” Martin Garrix shares a writing credit on “Glorify.” The guests appear on different tracks, with Lanois and Parton coming in at the close.
The U.S. Apple Music listing has the standard album. The U.S. label’s standard CD listing shows the 12 songs, including “Street of Dreams,” “Silencio” and “Torn.” U2 also lists a standard vinyl edition and digital download. Interscope lists the standard CD at $21.98 before shipping and tax.
The deluxe CD box has three discs. One holds the new album and the other two hold Days of Ash and Easter Lily, the first physical releases of those EPs according to the band’s store. It includes a 20-page booklet. For a listener looking for Parton’s vocal, the standard CD and the digital album both include the same closing track.
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