Four men who first played together as schoolboys in Dublin fifty years ago have, in the autumn of their careers, chosen to answer a fractured world not with dread but with a stubborn insistence on joy. Their new album Carnaval de Luz arrives after an early-2026 they spent speaking through two quiet EPs, one raw with grief over killings in the United States and the occupied territories, the other asking what faith and friendship can still carry us through. Its closing duet with Dolly Parton, her final recorded performance, turns an old country song of love's divided choices into a meditation on
U2 on Dolly Parton's Final Duet, the 'Grudge Match' Behind Carnaval de Luz, and Why They Won't Be Censored
The article references the killing of US citizen Renee Good by an ICE officer, the death of Palestinian activist Odeh Hathaleen, and more than 73,780 deaths in Gaza according to the Hamas-run health ministry.
They will definitely not be censoring us, ever.
Mark
Why does it matter that they released the EPs quietly?
Mimi
It's a break from their history. They used to chase being the biggest band in the world. Now Bono says the people they wanted to notice, noticed.
Luke
Worth noting that's Bono's account. We have no sales or listening figures here to show how far the EPs travelled.
Mark
And Torn, the Dolly Parton duet?
Mimi
She had started the song about choosing between two men. U2 and Jonny McDaid rewrote it about families divided by politics. She recorded in June, under three months before she died.
Luke
The band says they didn't know it would be her last vocal. That's their recollection, and the piece doesn't say how the rewritten lyric reached her or what she thought of it beyond Bono's account.
Mark
What about the free speech stance?
Mimi
The Edge says the band has taken risks before, in Arizona in 1987 and Santiago in 1998. Mullen Jr says nobody will censor them.
Luke
Those are statements of intent. Whether any promoter will test it on next year's tour is unknown.
Mark
Any number readers should handle carefully?
Luke
The Gaza death toll of more than 73,780 comes from the Hamas-run health ministry, though the UN considers its figures reliable. And Yinon Levy is charged, not convicted.
Le Pouls
- Two EPs dropped in early 2026 without any promotion, a deliberate break from the band's old habit of loud launches, after the killings of Renee Good and Odeh Hathaleen.
- The new album Carnaval de Luz pushes back against anxiety, pressing for 'defiant joy' while the wider world feels increasingly hostile to free expression.
- Dolly Parton's final vocal, Torn, was rewritten by U2 into a song about political families torn apart, recorded just three months before her death.
- Sessions were a grind, with The Mirror Maker taking 196 takes and early work swinging between inspiration and failure.
- The band has drawn a hard line on free speech, insisting no promoter or owner can censor them, and their 2027 stadium tour, including two London dates, will put that stance to the test.
Four men who first played together as schoolboys in Dublin fifty years ago have, in the autumn of their careers, chosen to answer a fractured world not with dread but with a stubborn insistence on joy. Their new album Carnaval de Luz arrives after an early-2026 they spent speaking through two quiet EPs, one raw with grief over killings in the United States and the occupied territories, the other asking what faith and friendship can still carry us through. Its closing duet with Dolly Parton, her final recorded performance, turns an old country song of love's divided choices into a meditation on families and nations pulled apart. In a moment when freedom itself feels contested, U2 are placing their wager on the idea that refusing to be robbed of delight is its own form of resistance.
The band met the BBC in a bingo hall that once hosted their earliest gigs, and the atmosphere felt more like a family reunion than a press junket. Bono joked that every four-piece wants to be the Beatles, while the lineup remains the same four who formed at Mount Temple Comprehensive School in Dublin half a century ago.
The occasion is Carnaval de Luz, released after an unusual start to 2026. The band quietly put out two EPs without any announcement. Days of Ash was angry and urgent, responding to the shooting of Renee Good by an immigration officer and the death of Palestinian activist Odeh Hathaleen. Easter Lily was more reflective, asking whether faith and friendship can sustain people through hard times. Management warned that nobody would notice, and Bono says the band did not mind, because the people they wanted to notice did.
The new album is a counterweight, favouring what Bono calls defiant joy over anxiety, inspired by ecstatic nights at festivals. Its closing track, Torn, is a duet with Dolly Parton, who agreed to hear demos and offered a song she had started. U2 rewrote her lyric about a woman choosing between two men into one about political divisions tearing families apart. Parton recorded in June and died less than three months later. Bono says the band knew she was ill but not that it would be her last vocal.
The sessions were demanding, with one track taking 196 takes and the band describing themselves as relentless. The bonds have survived injuries and illness. On free speech, the band was direct: no billionaire, promoter or owner has the right to censor anyone, and they say they will not be censoring U2. The next test comes in 2027, when they tour stadiums, including two dates in London in June.
The band met the BBC in a bingo hall that once hosted some of U2's formative gigs, and the mood was closer to a family reunion than a press junket. They teased drummer Larry Mullen Jr about turning a hose on fans who climbed the wall of his parents' house in 1976, and Bono confessed that every four-piece wants to be the Beatles. The lineup has not changed since the four formed at Dublin's Mount Temple Comprehensive School 50 years ago.
The occasion is Carnaval de Luz, their new album, which arrives after an unusual start to 2026. Early in the year the band put out two EPs without telling anyone. Days of Ash was angry and urgent, addressing the shooting of US citizen Renee Good by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer, and the death of Palestinian activist Odeh Hathaleen, allegedly killed by an Israeli settler. Yinon Levy has been charged with reckless manslaughter and has said he will fight for his innocence in court. Easter Lily was more reflective, asking whether faith and friendship can sustain people through hard times. Bono says management and the label warned that nobody would notice. The band did not mind, and he says the people they wanted to notice did.
That is a change for a group that once described All That You Can't Leave Behind as four men reapplying for the job of biggest band in the world, and that pushed Songs of Innocence into 500 million iTunes libraries in 2014, an overreach Bono has apologised for repeatedly. Carnaval de Luz gets a more traditional rollout: box sets, vinyl variants, a filmed concert for BBC Two and a few interviews. The album is meant as a counterbalance to the EPs. Inspired by ecstatic nights at music festivals, it favours what Bono calls defiant joy over anxiety. Bassist Adam Clayton says the band's journey since the mid-1970s was about expanding freedom, and that with that freedom now under threat, they did not want their joy robbed.
The closing track, Torn, is a duet with Dolly Parton and became her last recording. Bono courted her by sending bagpipes for her birthday, and she agreed to hear demos. She judged one folk song, Lifelong, a little too Irish for her, then offered a song she had begun, Torn, saying they could take it where they liked. Her original lyric concerned a woman choosing between two men. With help from Snow Patrol's Jonny McDaid, U2 rewrote it about political divisions tearing families apart, with lines about brothers turning to strangers and sons denying their name. Parton recorded her parts in June, less than three months before she died. Bono says the band knew she was ill but not that it would be her last vocal. He recalls being in a car with R.E.M.'s Michael Stipe when the news came, and Stipe fell down sobbing.
Another track, The Mirror Maker, is dedicated to Catalan star Rosalía, written after Bono saw her Lux tour. He wrote it without her knowledge and then phoned to nervously seek her approval. Producer Jacknife Lee says it took 196 takes. The Edge admits early sessions swung between inspiring and not good at all, and Bono calls the band relentless, a grudge match. Mullen Jr says the frustration is part of why they keep chasing the moments when it works.
Those bonds have survived injuries that forced Bono to cancel a 2010 US tour, and neck problems that led Mullen Jr to skip the 2023-2024 Las Vegas residency. Doctors advised him to retire, but after risky surgery he is back, with a new playing style to avoid further damage.
On free speech, the band was direct. Asked about Ed Sheeran's US tour, where some venue owners pressured him to drop support act Macklemore over pro-Palestinian comments, The Edge said Sheeran should not be vilified but praised the young artists who left the tour. He recalled Bono singing Pride in Arizona in 1987 despite death threats after the governor banned Martin Luther King Day, and the 1998 Santiago concert where mothers of Pinochet's victims read their children's names. Mullen Jr said no billionaire, promoter or owner has the right to censor anybody, and that they will not be censoring U2.
The test comes next year, when the band tours stadiums internationally, including two dates at London's Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in June.
Citations marquantes
Nobody, no billionaire, no promoter, no owner, has the right to censor anybody.— Larry Mullen Jr, U2 drummer
We totally support Macklemore's right as an artist to say what he wanted to say.— The Edge, U2 guitarist
Envie de l'histoire complète ?
Lire l'original sur BBC News ↗
Culture & Arts