Afterimage is the second track from Rush

Rush (band)

Rush is a Canadian rock band formed in August 1968, in the Willowdale neighbourhood of Toronto, Ontario. The band is composed of bassist, keyboardist, and lead vocalist Geddy Lee, guitarist Alex Lifeson, and drummer and lyricist Neil Peart...

's 1984 album Grace Under Pressure

Grace Under Pressure (Rush album)

Grace Under Pressure is the tenth studio album by the Canadian rock band Rush, released in 1984 . A symbol for the album is the letter "p" above a line with the letter "g" below ....

. The track was dedicated to Robbie Whelan, a friend of the band who worked as an assistant engineer on some of Rush's earlier albums, most notably Moving Pictures

Moving Pictures (album)

- Personnel :* Geddy Lee - Bass guitar; Minimoog; Oberheim 8-voice synthesizer; OB-X, Moog Taurus bass pedals, vocals* Alex Lifeson - Electric and acoustic guitars, Moog Taurus...

 and Signals. The track deals with the loss of a friend and the emotional aftermath that follows.

The single was a Japan-only release. The opening lyric was quoted in the liner notes for Rush's 1998 live release, Different Stages, as a dedication to drummer Neil Peart

Neil Peart

Neil Ellwood Peart , OC, is a Canadian musician and author. He is the drummer for the rock band Rush.Peart grew up in Port Dalhousie, Ontario . During adolescence, he floated from regional band to regional band in pursuit of a career as a full-time drummer...

's daughter and wife, who died in 1997 and 1998, respectively. The memoriam is as follows:

"Suddenly...you were gone...from all the lives you left your mark upon..."
In loving memory of Jackie and Selena