Jan Hammarlund Releases New Single “Den sista dalmatinern”

Jan Hammarlund is back with his new single “Den sista dalmatinern”, a personal and understated song about memories, grief and longing. The song is dedicated to his mother, Ann-Marie Hammarlund, who passed away in 2014.

In the lyrics, Hammarlund returns to images from his mother’s home, where the dogs were once a natural part of everyday life. He particularly remembers a trio of Dalmatians from the early 2000s, led by the dog Macken.

“When he saw me, he would parade around with an old sheepskin rug in his mouth — I think he was trying to resemble my moustache, which by then had turned white,” Jan Hammarlund recalls.

He also describes Macken’s daughter, Devilia, who made a strong impression with her expressive voice.

“She had a lively prosody, a little frustrated because she didn’t have enough fine motor control in her mouth to make herself fully understood,” says Hammarlund.

“Den sista dalmatinern” moves between concrete memories and existential questions. The song portrays a house that has fallen silent, a world growing smaller, and a final journey away from the material. Yet the tenderness remains — in photographs, letters, rooms and the dog barks that are no longer heard.

The song centers on the loss of his mother, but also on how grief changes over time.

“It has been twelve years since my mother died. I think of her every day. And I miss the dogs,” says Jan Hammarlund.