#18: Fantasy by Aldo Nova

City: Ottawa, ON
Radio Station: CFRA
Peak Month: May 1982
Peak Position in Ottawa ~ #1
Peak position in Vancouver ~ did not chart
Peak Position on Billboard Hot 100 ~ #23
YouTube: “Fantasy”
Lyrics: “Fantasy”

Aldo Caporuscio was born in Montreal in 1956. His parents were Italian immigrants from a village near Rome. He adopted the stage name Aldo Nova when he started playing guitar and keyboards at age 15. Signing with Portair Records, Nova released a self-produced album Aldo Nova in 1982. His debut single was titled “Fantasy”.

“Fantasy” was written by Aldo Nova. The song depicts ‘girls in tight dresses’ who’ll “give you love if the price is right.” Other offers on this night out include snorting cocaine. The lyrics explain “this is not reality, this is just a fantasy life.”

“Fantasy” reached #1 in Ottawa, and Sydney (NS), #2 in Winnipeg (MB), #5 in Windsor (ON), Odessa (TX), Cleveland, and Sherbrooke (PQ), #6 in Dallas, and Fort Lauderdale, #7 in Montreal, #8 in Halifax (NS), #10 in Tampa (FL), and Tacoma (WA), #11 in Hamilton (ON), and Miami, and #12 in Toronto and San Diego. On the Billboard Hot 100, “Fantasy” reached #23.

A followup from the debut album, “Foolin’ Yourself”, stalled at #45 on the Canadian RPM Top 100 Singles chart, and at #65 on the Billboard Hot 100. A second album, Subject…Aldo Nova, was released in 1983. The debut single, “Monkey On Your Back”, climbed to #12 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart. However, it didn’t crack the Hot 100 or the RPM Top 100. A subsequent track, “Always Be Mine”, stalled at #107 below the Billboard Hot 100.

In 1985, Aldo Nova wrote “Don’t You Want My Love” which was recorded by Nicole. The single climbed to #7 in Belgium, #8 in Sweden, #9 in the Netherlands, #18 in France, and #20 in West Germany. While his first two albums were certified platinum, Aldo Nova’s third studio album Twitch was certified ‘gold.’ A fourth album, Blood on the Bricks, was released in 1991. The title track was a minor pop hit in Canada.

In 1987, Aldo Nova wrote “Partout je te vois” for Celine Dion. Recorded at “Just Have A Heart” in 1991, the single reached #3 in Quebec and #26 in the RPM Top 100 singles chart. Later that year, Aldo Nova co-wrote “Des mots qui sonnent” which was a #10 hit for Celine Dion in Quebec. In 1992, Aldo Nova was a session musician for Canadian glam rock band Saints and Sinners self-titled debut album.

Aldo Nova’s biggest songwriting success was in 1996 with a song recorded by Celine Dion. “Dreamin’ Of You” and “I Love You” were tracks from the Quebec diva’s blockbuster album, Falling Into You, which sold 32,000,000 worldwide. With two tracks on Celine Dion’s album, Aldo Nova earned plenty of $$$ in royalties. As well, he shared a Grammy Award for Album of the Year as co-producer of Falling Into You.

In 2000, Aldo Nova co-wrote four songs on the album Uno  by La Ley, which won the Grammy Award for Best Latin Rock or Alternative Album.

In 2002, he wrote “A New Day Has Come” for Celine Dion. Her treatment of the song resulted in a number-one hit in the Czech Republic, and Poland, as well as in sales across Quebec. The single reached #2 in Canada, Hungary, Romania, and Switzerland, #3 in Denmark, Norway and Sweden, #6 in Germany, #7 in Portugal and the UK, #8 in Greece and Scotland, #9 in Austria and Italy, #10 in Ireland, #12 in Spain, #13 in Belgium, #17 in Finland, and #19 in Australia and the Netherlands.

In 2003, Aldo Nova wrote “This Is the Night” for Clay Aitken. The single topped the pop charts in Canada, New Zealand and the USA (Billboard Hot 100). In 2004, he wrote another song for Celine Dion titled “You And I”. It reached #2 in Hungary and Quebec, and #9 in Poland. Aldo Nova has also written songs recorded by Blue Öyster Cult, Faith Hill, and Jon Bon Jovi.

In 2022, Aldo Nova released his seventh studio album titled 2.0 Reloaded. 

November 10, 2025
Ray McGinnis

References:
Leslie Michele Derrough, “40 Years Later, Aldo Nova Still Out to Prove He’s No One Hit Wonder,” Glide, April5, 2002.
Katherine Turman, “Aldo Nova Shares Why He Disappeared After His Hit ‘Fantasy’,” Loud Wire, January 26, 2019.

CFRA 580-AM Ottawa Top Ten | May 21, 1982