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.
Valentine
Dispatch Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Into the black
The news is goin' down
Into the dirt
Crushin' the white stones
The sun expires
The wind is zipped up
Hide the fire
Freeze the river
Cross out the clouds
Chorus:
I bet it was a bumpy ride
I bet it was...slip and a slide
You were upside down
Rollin' around...lost in time
Ah valentine
So lets seal up the leaks
Is it really goin' down?
Broken flame...bones to blame
Ropes in flames...kisses from the parade
Tying ribbons of rain...
Paradise, sacrifice, lemon lips
A pyramid of apples
Chorus
C'mon c'mon lets go
We got the car packed up
C'mon c'mon lets go
Keep my mind steady
Footprints of forever
Suitcase in the hole
Holdin' my hands
Watchin' tears fall
She's watchin' them fall
Promise of another
It's better to look right now
Scared of what we'll see
Will he have the same face as me?
Chorus
Lost in time, lost in time, lost in time
Ah valentine
The opening of Dispatch's "Valentine" is a poignant reflection of the fleeting nature of life as represented by the "fading blue into the black," "crushing the white stones," and "sun expiring." These symbols allude to the finality of death, which is made even more ominous by the immediate and physical imagery of the "news going down into the dirt" and the "wind being zipped up." The lyrics then urge for the hiding of the "fire in a tin cup" and the freezing of the river while crossing out the clouds, perhaps as a way to create a sort of temporary respite from reality. The chorus, with its haunting questions, adds to the song's introspective nature, wondering about the uncertainties of life and the inevitability of fate: "I bet it was a bumpy ride, I bet it was a slip and a slide. You were upside down, rolling around, lost in time, ah valentine."
As the song progresses, the lyrics explore themes of love, sacrifice, and separation. The lines "broken flame, bones to blame" and "ropes in flames, kisses from the parade" are paradoxical, highlighting the fragility of relationships and the tragic side of love. Furthermore, the image of "tying ribbons of rain" and "a pyramid of apples" are symbolic of the grandeur and beauty of love, but also illustrate how love can be easily crushed just as easily as a pyramid of apples can be toppled. The last few stanzas are filled with reflections on a past relationship marked by memories of traveling and adventure together. The lines "suitcase in the hole, holding my hands, watching tears fall" are particularly poignant, painting a picture of someone attempting to hold onto the past through material objects as they say goodbye to a lover. The chorus, repeated at the end of the song, beautifully sums up the feelings of both mourning and uncertainty that come with the passing of time.
Line by Line Meaning
It's a fadin' blue
The situation is becoming more uncertain and gloomy
Into the black
Heading towards darkness
The news is goin' down
Bad news is spreading
Into the dirt
Bringing down the reputation and morale
Crushin' the white stones
Destroying something pure and precious
The sun expires
The end of something good is approaching
The wind is zipped up
Everything is remaining silent
Hide the fire
Keeping a secret or hiding something important
In a tin cup
In a small and confined space
Freeze the river
Halting the flow of things
Cross out the clouds
Erasing hope and positivity
Chorus:
Reiterating the feeling of being lost and confused
I bet it was a bumpy ride
It was probably a difficult journey
I bet it was...slip and a slide
It was probably filled with obstacles and uncertainty
You were upside down
Feeling disoriented and unsure
Rollin' around...lost in time
Feeling lost and unsure of where to go next
Ah valentine
Possibly addressing a person or situation in a sarcastic way
So lets seal up the leaks
Trying to fix a problem or prevent further damage
Is it really goin' down?
Questioning if the situation is really getting worse
Broken flame...bones to blame
Referencing a possible failure or mistake
Ropes in flames...kisses from the parade
Possibly referencing a situation that was once filled with love and joy, but is now in chaos
Tying ribbons of rain...
Possibly discussing trying to fix something with temporary solutions
Paradise, sacrifice, lemon lips
Listing things that could possibly be lost or sacrificed
A pyramid of apples
Possibly referencing a corrupted or shaky foundation
C'mon c'mon lets go
Encouragement to keep moving forward
We got the car packed up
Preparedness for a journey
Keep my mind steady
Trying to stay focused and calm
Footprints of forever
Leaving a lasting impact or legacy
Suitcase in the hole
Possibly referencing a feeling of being trapped or stuck
Holdin' my hands
Seeking comfort and support from another person
Watchin' tears fall
Watching things fall apart
She's watchin' them fall
Another person watching the same thing happen
Promise of another
Possibly referring to the promise of future opportunities or good things to come
It's better to look right now
Confronting the situation instead of avoiding it
Scared of what we'll see
Possibly dreading what's to come
Will he have the same face as me?
Questioning if the outcome will be the same for everyone
Chorus
Reiterating the feeling of being lost and confused
Lost in time, lost in time, lost in time
Repeating this phrase to emphasize the idea of feeling lost and unsure
Ah valentine
Possibly addressing a person or situation in a sarcastic way
Contributed by Isaac L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.