Spoons vocalist Gord Deppe was inspired to write “Nova Heart” after seeing an Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark concert at Bannister's in Hamilton, Ontario.
Deppe borrowed an electric piano from keyboardist Rob Preuss to write the song.
The B-side, "Symmetry," which did not appear on the Arias & Symphonies album, was a dance single, and while it did not get much airplay, it got significant play in clubs.
In addition to the "Single version" and the 12 inch Extended Mix of the song, the CD also has 2 new remixes made by the band itself, a demo made in 1981 and a "Live" version of the song recorded at Barrymore's club in Ottawa, Ontario in 1982.
Nova Heart was covered by Canadian Electro-goth band Johnny Hollow and fellow Canadian new wave band Strange Advance[3] The album cover photos were taken at the CN Tower in Toronto, Ontario by Peter Noble.