Tragically Hip guitarist Paul Langlois recently shared the behind the scenes story of their 1992 song “Wheat Kings” and how it was made on their latest video. The Wheat Kings song was created to honour David Milgaard, a Winnipeg man wrongly convicted at 17 for the 1969 murder of Saskatoon nursing student Gail Miller. Milgaard spent 23 years in prison before finally being exonerated through recanted testimony and DNA testing.
Wheat Kings released on the album Fully Completely in 1992, six months after Milgaard’s release, Wheat Kings became a powerful anthem in Canadian music and helped shine a spotlight on miscarriages of justice. Critics and legal scholars note that it arrived at a time when Canadian institutions were resistant to admitting systemic failures, and the song arguably shifted public consciousness. Milgaard himself and his family were reportedly uplifted by the solidarity the song conveyed. Lawyers and advocates believe “Wheat Kings” significantly raised awareness of wrongful convictions, helping energize conversations around legal reform.
Watch Here: Paul Langlois on how they made “Wheat Kings” and learn how to play the song!
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