"No Matter What Sign You are" aka "The Paper Said Rain"

**franjoy56** · 04-01-2013, 11:30 PM

wow, I was going through my Sup's Box set and realized the flop gem
"No Matter What Sign you Are" is in stereo and it sound fabulous. When i bought the single it was not a stereo mix. This song had all the elements of a dance record, but it only made it to #31. Does anyone recall the Supremes singing this live in their show during the spring sumer and fall of 1969 before swbt hit, I only recall them doing it on the sullivan show May 1969, even though the Andantes are on it it is a great record that should have went somewhere, In fact Berry gordy intended this to be Diana's last record with the group until it unexpectedly floped. It is one of my favorite records by the post Flo group.

**nathanj06** · 04-02-2013, 10:47 AM

Agree. Absolutely loved this song and wore it out. The stereo version in the box set is awesome. I don't know if they ever performed it live or not but it was always a hit to my ears. I could never imagine this being called "The Paper Said Rain". The instrumental backing is beautiful.

**diktatorship** · 04-02-2013, 11:05 AM

It is indeed a fabulous track and Midnight Johnny [[mosogotam) did one of his wonderful extended versions recently, which can be found here:-

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CuHmM2acaYI

**thanxal** · 04-02-2013, 06:24 PM

Are the Supremes on any tracks from Sunshine or it is it all Andantes? I thought I recalled that Cindy and Mary are on either I'm Living in Shame or The Composer with the Andantes mixed in, but can't recall.

**davidh** · 04-02-2013, 06:34 PM

yes,mary and flo r on 2 tracks and i think mary and cindy r on 2/3. the rest is Andantees

**davidh** · 04-02-2013, 06:36 PM

loved NO MATTER WHAT SIGN U R. the stereo mix is great. thought this should have been a hit. the album should have been called the same and not LET THE SUNSHINE IN. who decided this??poor decision

**thanxal** · 04-02-2013, 07:08 PM

I thought Flo was on Let the Music Play but wasn't sure. didn't know she was on another.

**reese** · 04-02-2013, 07:41 PM

I think Flo is on LET THE MUSIC PLAY and WHAT BECOMES OF THE BROKENHEARTED.

smark21 · 04-02-2013, 08:22 PM

I don’t care for the lyrics on No Matter What Sign You Are. The words make the song almost a novelty song what with the astrology and the background vocal arrangement is lame. Maybe I would like the song more if words had been written around its working title “The Paper Said Rain”.

**luke** · 04-02-2013, 10:16 PM

Great record for the music--hokey, silly record due to its insipid lyrics.

**franjoy56** · 04-02-2013, 11:15 PM

Originally Posted by luke

Great record for the music--hokey, silly record due to its insipid lyrics.

"No Matter What Sign YOu Are" is a fabulous record, I don't care what the lyrics say, in all it has a positive message, regardless of the zodiac signs your gonna be mine you are, only you can guide my love
and the dance track is off the chart, i remember hearing this at the roundtable a disco in nyc, and i wore out two copies of the song. Yes the album should have had that title it probably would have done better on the chart.
Thank you ditatorship for posting your new mix i love the instrumental you inserted here: Can you imagine had this record made it to the top ten Diana would have left the Supremes half way through 1969, and Jean would have become a Supreme in 1969 instead of 1970.

**davidh** · 04-03-2013, 05:33 AM

i think BLOWIN IN THE WIND is the other track that features Florence...out take from Reflections ...i think

**nathanj06** · 04-03-2013, 06:26 AM

I also thought the album should have been called the same as well. Notice on the front cover it wasn't even highlighted but The Composer was? That was the worst song besides The Weight they ever recorded at that time. Silly lyrics? Think about some of the songs that year or before like Dizzy by Tommy Roe and that was a huge hit. You either liked it or you didn't the same as everything else. Let The Music Play really stood out and I thought that should have been released instead of The Composer. At the time I didn't know Florence was on it but it was a beautiful song. "Sign" was cleverly written and very current with the times. Some consider anything in the top 40 a hit. Also like Western Union Man.

**motony** · 04-03-2013, 08:36 AM

the record was certainly not a "flop" #31 on the Hot 100 is not a flop sales wise, LOL. I thought it was one of their best & I actually bought the 45 which was rare for me buying a Supremes record[[my brother was the big Supremes fan in the family). The lyrics were great & right on point for 1969[[astrology was BIG).The Diana Ross led Supremes had not had a "flop"

RossHolloway · 04-03-2013, 10:23 AM

I've always thought NMWSYA was an underappreciated song along with the Composer. Diana's vocals spot on with both songs. Both should have been bigger hits.

**luke** · 04-03-2013, 10:53 AM

For them it was a flop, especially after Some Things You Never Get used to. Gordy was not happy.

RossHolloway · 04-03-2013, 11:14 AM

Originally Posted by luke

For them it was a flop, especially after Some Things You Never Get used to. Gordy was not happy.

Well it wasn't just the Supreme's that were hurting for chart position at this time, all the groups that relied on HDH for material took a hit in 68-70: including the Four Tops, Martha & the Vandellas, while others just left like the Isley Brothers.

**marybrewster** · 04-03-2013, 12:13 PM

I wonder what the process was to get from "The Paper Said Rain" to "No matter What Sign You Are". Nothing in the released single has lyrics that suggest "paper" or "rain".

Granted, I know it was a working title, but I wonder if there were also working lyrics?

**JohnnyB** · 04-03-2013, 05:32 PM

Originally Posted by marybrewster

I wonder what the process was to get from "The Paper Said Rain" to "No matter What Sign You Are". Nothing in the released single has lyrics that suggest "paper" or "rain".

Granted, I know it was a working title, but I wonder if there were also working lyrics?

Complete speculation on my part, but when I discovered the working title I wondered if the lyric might reference weather predictions and compare them to the "summertime" feeling of being in love. Sort of a No Matter What The Paper Says, It's Springtime With You. Total speculation, but it would be interesting to hear the original lyrical idea.

**davidh** · 04-03-2013, 09:27 PM

funny how FOREVER CAME, SOMETHINGS U NEVER GET,NO MATTER WHAT SIGN...all sold bout the same 300,000 copies each give or take

**George Solomon** · 04-05-2013, 03:02 PM

A little "No Matter What Sign You Are" trivia that I wonder if anyone else remembers from the Jean, Mary & Cindy show 1970 -71 with Gil Askey conducting. The guitar player would play the intro to "No Matter What Sign..." [[the first time I heard it, I got very excited) Then Jean would turn around, stop him and say "Who told you to play that song?" Mary would say "The devil made him do it." Jean would say "Well you tell that devil to go..." Mary and Cindy would stop her "Jean!" And Jean would sweetly reply "I was just going to tell him to go home". Then they would go directly into "Everybody's Got The Right To Love".

**midnight johnny** · 04-05-2013, 03:12 PM

Originally Posted by diktatorship

It is indeed a fabulous track and Midnight Johnny [[mosogotam) did one of his wonderful extended versions recently, which can be found here:-

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CuHmM2acaYI

diktatorship...thank you so much for your very kind words!!
John