Dolly Parton sings about a ‘family at war’ on her final recorded song
Dolly Parton sang about a fractured family in what is believed to be the country music icon’s final recorded song before her death in August.
The late singer collaborated with U2 frontman Bono for a heartfelt ballad titled “Torn,” featured on the Irish rock band’s 16th studio album, “Carnaval De Luz.”
The track includes lyrics about a “family at war,” and has been described as Parton’s “last prayer” for America.
The pair, in the chorus, sang together, “Torn apart these loving hearts / That beat and break the same / We share a house divided / And the blood that fills our veins.
“Brothers turn to strangers / And sons deny their name,” they continued. “Somebody loses either way / And every heart is torn.”
Parton added in the second verse, “Are you your brother’s keeper now? Or know what you’re fighting for? / Nothing hurts a mother more than a family at war.”
The “Jolene” hitmaker recorded her vocals for the song in June, just two months before she passed away on Aug. 25 following a secret battle with cancer. She was 80.
Speaking to Rolling Stone in September, Bono said the “9 to 5” singer chose to participate in the project despite her health woes.
“When she got ill, she got out of her bed to sing this song. And you can hear that. And I can’t even listen to it now,” the rocker admitted.
“She sang her heart out, and I cannot believe that’s an 80-year-old woman,” he added. “It’s very moving to have had these intimacies with such a figure. The fact that they’re not there now, in any way you can call back, other than through her songs, is very sobering.”
U2 producer Garret “Jacknife” Lee shared that Parton “loved” the final version of the duet and was “so proud of her vocal.”
During an appearance on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” Thursday, Bono revealed the “I Will Always Love You” hitmaker didn’t realize she “was that ill” while working on the song.
“It’s her last prayer in a way,” he said. “I think it’s for America but anywhere where there is a divided politics.”
The release comes on the heels of Parton’s manager, Danny Nozell, dismissing his lawsuit against her nephew Bryan Seaver ahead of their courtroom showdown.
Less than a month after her death, the singer’s estate shockingly fired Seaver from his position as head of security, with Nozell accusing him of extortion and threats.
Seaver, who denied the claims, announced last month that he had been barred from the CMA tribute to Parton.
“I was not invited. Nor was my daughter, Dolly’s songwriting guitar playing, claw hammer finger pickin progeny,” he wrote via Facebook in October.
“The rest of my entire family was invited. A few attended,” he continued. “My kids and I were told not to attend. Such is life.”