The band originated in the early 1990s as One Fell Swoop, but changed their name to Dispatch in 1996. Chad Urmston, Braddigan, and Pete (Francis) Heimbold, who were all attending Middlebury College in Middlebury, Vermont comprised the band's lineup throughout their entire career. Their music has drawn on several influences, such as acoustic folk-rock, reggae, and funk.
Dispatch gained much recognition outside of New England, without any help from a label, and stuck together long enough to release seven albums, three of which were live performances. During concerts, the band had been known to improvise upon their album releases, often resulting in a song ending in twice the length of the original. The group was also fond of switching instruments and vocal duties when playing live.
Upon the announcement of its break-up in 2002, the band scheduled one final concert. The free show was performed at the Hatch Shell in Boston on July 31, 2004. "The Last Dispatch," as it was referred, is said to be the largest concert in independent music history; roughly 110,000 fans from over 20 different countries attended the show. Parts of the performance were released as a CD/DVD two-disc set later that year, entitled All Points Bulletin, along with an earlier show in Somerville, Massachusetts.
All three of the band's members are currently still in the music industry. Urmston is now the frontman of State Radio, while Corrigan (now credited as Braddigan, a nickname by which he was known since his time with Dispatch) and Heimbold (now credited as Pete Francis, his middle name) are succesfully pursuing solo efforts.
After the song Elias, written by Urmston after his experience living and teaching in Zimbabwe, the "Elias Fund" was formed to send children from the ravaged country to college.
Dispatch came out with a movie entitled "Last Dispatch" in July 2005, which documents their final 12 days together as a band and tells the story of how they became "the band that redefined independent music history". The film was released and previewed in Boston. Chad, Brad, and Pete attended the showing and celebrated throughout the weekend with their fans.
On December 22, 2005, Corrigan helped to organize a benefit concert, known as the Relief Project, at Irving Plaza in New York, New York. Along with several other performers, Corrigan invited Heimbold and State Radio to play. The three reunited very briefly, playing the song Here We Go as an encore. Corrigan stated there that he plans further Relief Project concerts featuring all three and perhaps sometime in 2007, a major Dispatch reunion concert.
Entitled "Dispatch: Zimbabwe", Dispatch arranged for one show in Madison Square Garden, with all the money sent towards relief efforts in Zimbabwe. Originally billed as a one show deal on July 14, Dispatch was surprised how quickly this first show sold out and set two more shows for the 13 and 15. After all three shows sold out, Dispatch announced another smaller show on July 11th at Webster Hall in New York, where they made their comeback debut to great success.
Dispatch had a second set of reunion concerts beginning at Red Rocks amphitheater in Denver, Colorado on June 3, 4, and 5th, 2011. These performances launched a reunion tour around the US and the release of their Dispatch EP on May 17th.
In 2017, the band released the song, "Only The Wild Ones" from their album, America, Location 12.
Prince Of Spades
Dispatch Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Coming home
The queen of love enters the room
Silence ensues
To the king:
"What have you done to my life?
Did you take me for a fool or for a wife?"
Counting all his diamonds
One by one they do fall
Says the queen:
"Our pride, the prince of spades, is coming home.
It'd be nice if you could find some time alone,
After all he's in line for the throne"
And the king is in his court
Counting all his diamonds
One by one they do fall
"So now just get up off you ass and
Leave all your treasures behind
Your son is coming home with you to spend time
Show him how a good king should be
And don't ever forget the day
When you turned back on him and me
Still I stayed."
The lyrics of Dispatch's song Prince Of Spades depict a royal family in turmoil. The queen returns home to a quiet room, and confronts the king about his actions that have affected her life. She asks whether he took her for a fool or for a wife. The king is counting his diamonds but they are falling one by one. The queen informs the king that their pride, the prince of spades, is returning home, and requests that the king find some time alone to spend with their son who is in line for the throne.
The chorus repeats the lines 'And the king is in his court, Counting all his diamonds, One by one they do fall'. The song is a commentary on how the king is so focused on his wealth that he is blind to everything else, including his family. The message is powerful and paints a vivid picture of how greed can consume a man's heart.
Dispatch's song Prince Of Spades showcases the band's unique blend of folk, reggae, and rock genres. Here are some interesting facts about the song:
* Prince of Spades is a character in the Hanafuda playing cards.
* The song is one of Dispatch's most popular songs even though it does not appear on any of their studio albums.
* The song was written in 1995 and was released on their live album 'Disptach: Live'.
* It was written by Chad Urmston, who was the lead singer and guitarist of the band.
* Dispatch broke up in 2002 but got back together in 2011 to play a concert called 'Dispatch: Zimbabwe' at Madison Square Garden.
* The band's 2012 album, 'Circles Around the Sun', debuted at #24 on the Billboard 200 album chart.
* Dispatch's music has been featured in films such as 'I Love You, Man' and 'The Incredible Burt Wonderstone'.
* Prince Of Spades is a fan favorite and is often played at the band's concerts.
* Dispatch has a loyal fanbase known as 'Dispatching'.
* The band members go by their first names, Chad, Brad, and Pete.
Chords:
Verse: G - D - C - G
Chorus: C - D - G - E minor - C - D - G
Line by Line Meaning
Coming back
Returning after being away
Coming home
Returning to the place where one resides
The queen of love enters the room
A woman full of love and compassion comes into the room
Silence ensues
All conversation stops and there is dead silence in the room
To the king:
Speaking to the male ruler in the room
"What have you done to my life?
Asking the king what he did to her life
Did you take me for a fool or for a wife?"
Asking the king whether he took her for a foolish person or a partner in life
And the king is in his court
The king is in his place of power and rule
Counting all his diamonds
Calculating the value of his possessions
One by one they do fall
One by one his possessions lose their value or importance
Says the queen:
The queen speaks again
"Our pride, the prince of spades, is coming home.
Announcing that their son, the prince of spades, is returning home
It'd be nice if you could find some time alone,
Asking the king to spend some time alone with their son
After all he's in line for the throne"
Reminding the king that their son is next in line to become ruler
So now just get up off you ass and
Urging the king to take action
Leave all your treasures behind
Abandoning his valuable possessions
Your son is coming home with you to spend time
Encouraging the king to bond with their son
Show him how a good king should be
Teaching their son how to be a good ruler
And don't ever forget the day
Reminding the king of a significant moment in the past
When you turned back on him and me
When the king betrayed them both
Still I stayed."
Despite the king's actions, she remained loyal
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Bradley Joseph Corrigan, Chad Stokes Urmston, Peter Francis Heimbold
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@cBodhi
Got to see Dispatch at Melkweg in Amsterdam years ago. Also in Red Rocks, CO... Chicago many times...a few other places. I've been blessed to see them so many times.. Truly an amazing group
@TreR90
Been one of my favorites to play on the guitar for 10 years now.
@JackAllen-pi2pd
Amen to that
@Peacecore09
I got to sing this onstage at Schuba’s in Chicago with Braddigan! True story,
@MetaLuda28
Jelly! One of my fav songs, takes me back
@iancrawford3732
One of my favorites in general!
@MrRuffle
I take my Caribbean queen on a ride with this jam often. Banger
@branchy5816
This song is so great
@shanehorrox2047
Love this song
@Surfdaearth
What an epic bard