Dolly Parton's final recorded vocal performance has arrived on "Torn," a new collaboration with U2 that closes the band's new album, Carnaval De Luz. Parton recorded her contribution in Nashville in June, just two months before she died on August 25 following a secret battle with cancer at the age of 80. Ahead of the release, her estate and U2 shared a handwritten note she sent Bono after finishing her vocals, in which she wrote, "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."

Co-written by U2, Parton and Johnny McDaid, "Torn" pairs Bono with Parton for a duet about fractured family ties. The chorus describes hearts that "beat and break the same" and a "house divided," while Parton's second verse asks, "Nothing hurts a mother more than a family at war." Daniel Lanois adds pedal steel to the recording, and a separate country mix, produced by longtime Parton collaborator Kent Wells, also premiered ahead of the album's release.S1S2

U2 previously revealed that Parton recorded the song while ill. Bono told Rolling Stone that she "got out of her bed to sing this song," adding that he finds it hard to listen to the recording now. U2 producer Garret "Jacknife" Lee said Parton loved the final version and was "so proud of her vocal." During an appearance on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!", Bono said Parton did not realise she "was that ill" while working on the song and described it as "her last prayer in a way," which he said was meant for America and anywhere with divided politics.S1S2

Parton's appearance on "Torn" now stands as the final recorded vocal performance of her career. The release came as her manager, Danny Nozell, dismissed his lawsuit against her nephew Bryan Seaver ahead of their courtroom showdown.S2