Rush · Listening Companion
Vapor Trails (2002) · Track 9 of 13

Earthshine

Named for the phenomenon where sunlight reflected off Earth illuminates the dark side of the Moon, the song uses this image to explore how reflected light — hope, love, memory — can illuminate even the darkest places.

It's one of the album's strongest tracks musically, with a driving groove and memorable melodic hook. The remix of "Earthshine" for Retrospective III was one of the catalysts for the entire album being remixed.

The earthshine metaphor perfectly captures the album's emotional core: even in total darkness, there's always some reflected light to see by.