Dolly Parton passed on a U2 collaboration because the track was “too Irish”, Bono has revealed.
The U2 frontman said the pair had been discussing songs over the phone for a “Celtic Irish folk project” when the late showbiz legend politely declined one of the ideas.
Speaking to Zane Lowe on Apple Music, he said: “One of the songs was called Lifelong. I think it was kind of like a marrying song, like a wedding song. And she said, ‘That’s a little too Irish for me, if you don’t mind.’ And I said, ‘You’re from the Appalachians, aren’t you all Scots Irish?’ She said, ‘Yeah, but I’m talking about my voice.’”
The Jolene hitmaker then surprised him by offering something entirely different – Torn, which appears on U2’s new album Carnaval de Luz and is believed to be the final recording by the Queen of Country.
He recalled: “And she said, I got a song started called Torn. Now you can take it somewhere else and I’d like to see where you could take it or something like that.”
Bono explained that the original idea for Torn was “quite traditional” before U2 reshaped it.
He said: “We really took it somewhere else. I was really surprised that she ran with it. That’s because not only was it sort of, not just American families, but arguing at the kitchen table and two brothers not speaking. You know, had some real friction of the times in it.”
He added that the band had no idea how unwell Dolly was when she recorded her vocal.
Bono said: “I was surprised that she ran with it and she sang it like she just took flight. Amazing vocal. And she was ill at the time. We didn’t know how ill, of course. And she got out of bed to sing this song. And it meant a lot to us at the time, just knowing she was ill, that she would even consider doing something with us.”
Dolly died on August 25, aged 80, following a battle with cancer.