His eponymous debut album from 1982 is said to have provided a blueprint for the hard rock of the '80s. During the '80s and '90s, he worked with fellow hard rockers Lita Ford and Jon Bon Jovi -- he contributed heavily to the latter's 1990 solo debut Blaze of Glory -- as mainstream rock began to adapt his innovations. Nova found his greatest commercial success as a songwriter and producer for Celine Dion, earning a Grammy for her 1996 album Falling Into You. This success allowed Nova to be picky with his projects, but he eventually returned to his own recording career in 2018 with the release of 2.0.
Nova learned guitar when he was 15 years old, inspired equally by Jimi Hendrix and jazz. While he cut his teeth in local clubs, he also played George Harrison in a production of Beatlemania, spending his extra hours working as a studio engineer. Eventually, he landed a publishing deal, which led to a 1982 contract with Portrait Records.
Portrait allowed Nova to produce his own 1982 debut, which resulted in the album sounding unlike most other hard rock on the radio at that time. "Fantasy" hit at precisely the right moment, burning up the AOR rock charts but also receiving heavy play on MTV. This helped "Fantasy" reach the Billboard Top 40, climbing to number 23 while making it all the way to three on their Mainstream Rock chart. The album's second single, the power ballad "Fooling Yourself," reached 65 on the Hot 100, but Aldo Nova had legs, earning its first platinum certification in 1989 and a second in 1994.
Nova had a difficult time capitalizing on this success. On his 1983 sequel Subject…Aldo Nova, the guitarist ratcheted up the synthesizers and tied together the songs with a vague concept, conceits that made the album feel vaguely New Wave. "Monkey on Your Back," the album's lead single, went to 12 on Billboard's Mainstream Rock chart, but "Always Be Mine" couldn't get past 107. The album nevertheless managed to earn Gold certification in 1994. The record label intervened during the recording of 1985's Twitch to help steer him back onto the charts but it didn't help: the album stiffed upon its release. After its commercial failure, Nova asked to be let out of his contract with Portrait; his time with the label would be wrapped up with the release of the 1991 compilation, A Portrait of Aldo Nova.
At that point, Nova decided to recede from the spotlight. He chose to work as a session musician, producer, and professional songwriter, areas where he was experienced. During his ascent on the charts, he appeared on records by Michael Bolton and Blue Oyster Cult, but by 1984, he also was working on records by Lita Ford and Bon Jovi. The latter proved to be a crucial connection. In 1990, he played on Jon Bon Jovi's solo debut, Blaze of Glory, where he helped come up with the title track's lead riff. Bon Jovi had a history with Nova -- Nova appears on the 1984 debut by Jon's band -- and the rocker paid it forward six years later, signing Nova to his Jambco imprint and releasing Blood on the Bricks, but the record didn't go anywhere commercially, nor did the 1997 album Nova's Dream.
Of greater importance to Nova in the late 1990s was his collaboration with Celine Dion. He worked with the singer on some of her first albums, co-writing the song "A New Day Has Come," and the collaboration continued through her 1996 album Falling Into You. He produced part of the album, taking home a Grammy Award when it won Album of the Year in 1996. Another Grammy arrived when he worked with Latin rock group La Ley on Uno, which won the Grammy for Best Latin Rock/Alternative Album in 2001. In 2003, he co-wrote "This Is the Night," which became a hit for Clay Aiken after he won American Idol.
Nova was firmly a behind-the-scenes artist by the 2000s, working as a producer and songwriter, toiling away on a rock opera called The Life and Times of Eddie Gage for the better part of a decade. Instead of releasing that, Nova mounted a comeback in 2018 with 2.0, an album where he offered new versions of his old hits.
His album "The Life and Times of Eddie Gage" was released in 2022.
Armageddon
Aldo Nova Lyrics
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Lies a place where dreams
And reality are one
I will take you there
For I am the subject
A subject of your imagination
The lyrics of Aldo Nova's song "Armageddon" suggest that there is a place in one's mind where dreams and reality coexist harmoniously. The song's narrator, speaking in the second person, offers to take the listener to this place, indicating that he is a construct of their imagination. This interpretation suggests that the song is about the power of the mind, and specifically, the idea that the mind has the ability to create its own reality.
The lyrics are also suggestive of the idea that the mind can transport one to other realms of consciousness, beyond the limitations of physical reality. This concept is echoed by the song's driving guitar riff and energetic beat, which seem to propel the listener forward into an alternate dimension. It is possible that "Armageddon" speaks to a desire for escape, a longing for a different way of being. In this way, the song might be interpreted as a call to embrace the full potential of the human mind.
Line by Line Meaning
On the border of your mind
In the depths of your subconscious, where thoughts and feelings exist
Lies a place where dreams
Exists a realm of your deepest desires
And reality are one
Where dreams merge with your everyday life
I will take you there
I will guide you to that place
For I am the subject
As an imaginary entity, I am the embodiment of your desires
A subject of your imagination
An imaginary object that exists only in your dreams and desires
Lyrics © Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada (SOCAN), Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Aldo Caporuscio, John F Bongiovi
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind