"Rumors" is a song by American actress and singer-songwriter

Lindsay Lohan Lindsay Dee Lohan ( ; born July 2, 1986) is an American actress, singer, producer, and businesswoman. Born in New York City and raised on Long Island, Lohan was signed to Ford Models at age three. She appeared as a regular on the soap opera ' ...

from her debut

studio album An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track cartridge, 8-track or Cassette tape, cassette), or digital distribution, dig ...

, '' Speak'' (2004). Originally titled "Just What It Is", the song was written and produced by Cory Rooney, while additional writing was done by Lohan, Taryll Jackson and T. J. Jackson. A

dance-pop Dance-pop is a Music genre, genre of electronic dance music that originated in the late 1970s to early 1980s. It is generally uptempo music intended for nightclubs with the intention of being danceable but also suitable for contemporary hit ra ...

song, its

lyrics Lyrics are words that make up a song, usually consisting of verses and choruses. The writer of lyrics is a lyricist. The words to an extended musical composition such as an opera are, however, usually known as a "libretto" and their writer, ...

allude to the constant

paparazzi Paparazzi (singular form paparazzo) are independent photographers who take pictures of high-profile people, such as actors, musicians, athletes, politicians, and other celebrities who go about their daily life routines. Paparazzi are known f ...

and media backlash regarding Lohan. "Rumors" was released as Lohan's debut single, and

lead single A lead single (or first single) is the first single to be released from a studio album by an artist or a band, usually before the album itself is released and also occasionally on the same day of the album's release date. A similar term, "debut ...

from ''Speak'', on September 27, 2004, by Casablanca Records. "Rumors" received generally mixed reviews from

music critic '' The Oxford Companion to Music'' defines music criticism as "the intellectual activity of formulating judgments on the value and degree of excellence of individual works of music, or whole groups or genres". In this sense, it is a branch of m ...

s; with statements like "infectious" or "unnecessary". Commercially, "Rumors" achieved moderate success worldwide, reaching Top 30 positions in Australia, Austria, Germany and Switzerland. In the United States, "Rumors" peaked at No. 6 on the ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles (also known as Bubbling Under the Hot 100) is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States. The chart lists the top songs that have not yet charted on the main ''Billboard'' Hot 100. Chart ...

chart and was

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Gold Gold is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol Au (from Latin ) and atomic number 79. In its pure form, it is a brightness, bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile metal. Chemically, gold is a transition metal ...

by the

Recording Industry Association of America The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...

(RIAA). The accompanying

music video A music video is a video that integrates a song or an album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device intended to ...

for "Rumors" was directed by Jake Nava and depicts Lohan attending a

nightclub A nightclub or dance club is a club that is open at night, usually for drinking, dancing and other entertainment. Nightclubs often have a Bar (establishment), bar and discotheque (usually simply known as disco) with a dance floor, laser lighti ...

, playing around with the paparazzi. It was nominated for Best Pop Video at the 2005 MTV Video Music Awards and reached the top position on

MTV MTV (an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on ...

's ''

Total Request Live ''Total Request Live'' (commonly abbreviated as ''TRL'') is an American television program that premiered on MTV on September 14, 1998. The early version of ''TRL'' featured popular music videos played during its countdown and was also used as ...

''. In 2014, ''Billboard'' ranked "Rumors" in its "Top 50 Forgotten Gems from the '' Now!'' series", which list songs from the series that were underrated at the time of their release.

Background and composition

"Rumors" was originally titled "Just What It Is". The song was written by Cory Rooney, Lindsay Lohan, Taryll Jackson and T. J. Jackson. It was also produced by Rooney, who provided keyboards and background vocals. Peter Wade Keusch assisted the production, and was responsible along with Chris Avedon for Lohan's vocal recording, which occurred at Poolhouse West and The Village in Los Angeles.

Audio mixing Audio mixing is the process by which multiple sounds are combined into one or more audio channels. In the process, a source's volume level, frequency content, dynamics, and panoramic position are manipulated or enhanced. This practical, aest ...

was done by Keusch at

Sony Music Studios Sony Music Studios was an American music recording and mastering facility in New York City. The five-story building was a music and broadcasting complex located at 460 W. 54th Street, at 10th Avenue, in the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood of Manhat ...

in New York City. Christopher J. Warner provided the guitar present in the song's composition. "Rumors" is in the style of R&B. Lyrically, the song was written as a response to the

and media's backlash, both which are addressed in the chorus lines, where Lohan sings, "I'm tired of rumors starting/ I'm sick of being followed/ I'm tired of people lying/ Saying what they want about me/ Why can't they back up off me?/ Why can't they let me live?/ I'm going to do it my way/ Take this for just what it is." Spence D. of

IGN ''IGN'' is an American video gaming and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa district and is headed by its former e ...

noted that Lohan's vocals are "driven by snarls, breathy croons, and emotionally restrained angst", while John Murphy of ''musicOMH'' considered it "a feisty

dance Dance is an The arts, art form, consisting of sequences of body movements with aesthetic and often Symbol, symbolic value, either improvised or purposefully selected. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoir ...

anthem with intelligent lyrics attacking the paparazzi and press in general".

Critical reception

"Rumors" received generally mixed reviews from

s, however, it has become one of Lohan's most recognized songs and has now been labeled as " cult pop treasure"^{^[]}. Charles Merwin of Stylus Magazine, ''Stylus Magazine'' thought that "Rumors" was not a good choice for a single, stating, "in fact, for a girl, that has been tagged as America’s next sweetheart by some media outlets, it might be the worst choice of subject matter for the opening statement from a girl that automatically has more to prove to audiences because of her stature as an actress. Unfortunately, 'Rumors' is about as good as it gets." Erik Missio of '' ChartAttack'' thought that the song "presented potential for a semi-palatable debut effort", but further added that it is a "crap of a spectacularly unspectacular level." ''

Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American online magazine, digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, ...

'' contributor Nicholas Fonseca, however, considered "Rumors" a guilty pleasure, while

Stephen Thomas Erlewine Stephen Thomas Erlewine (; born June 18, 1973) is an American music critic and former senior editor for the online music database AllMusic. He is the author of multiple artist biographies and record reviews for AllMusic, as well as a freelance ...

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

selected the song a Track Pick in the review of ''Speak''. IGN's Spence D. described it as "pervasively infectious, the kind of track that will no doubt keep the dance floors sweaty and steamy for a few months to come." John Murphy of ''musicOMH'' praised "Rumors" as a departure from ''Speak''s

soft rock Soft rock (also known as light rock or mellow rock) is a form of rock music that originated in the late 1960s in the United States and the United Kingdom which smoothed over the edges of singer-songwriter and pop rock, relying on simple, mel ...

genre.

Chart performance

"Rumors" achieved moderate commercial success worldwide. In the United States, the single peaked at number six on ''

''s

chart and reached number 23 on the

Mainstream Top 40 Pop Airplay (also called Mainstream Top 40, Pop Songs, and Top 40/contemporary hit radio, CHR) is a 40-song music chart published weekly by Billboard (magazine), ''Billboard'' Magazine that ranks the most popular songs of pop music being played o ...

component chart. However, it was certified

by the

(RIAA) in February 2005. In Australia, "Rumors" debuted at number 19 on the

ARIA charts The ARIA Charts are the main Australian record chart, music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling songs and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA beca ...

, peaking at number 10 six weeks later, while being certified Gold by the

Australian Recording Industry Association The Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) is a trade association representing the Australian recording industry which was established in the 1970s by six major record companies, EMI, Festival Records (Australia), Festival, Sony Music ...

(ARIA). The single also attained top 30 positions in Austria and Switzerland, and reached the top 40 in the Netherlands and Sweden. In Germany, "Rumors" debuted and peaked at number 14.

Music video

Casablanca Records commissioned a music video to be directed by British director Jake Nava, who previously worked in the same year with

Britney Spears Britney Jean Spears (born December 2, 1981) is an American singer. Often referred to as the "Princess of Pop", she has sold over 150 million records worldwide, making her one of the world's best-selling music artists. Cultural impact of Brit ...

on her music video for "

My Prerogative "My Prerogative" is a song by American singer Bobby Brown from his second studio album, '' Don't Be Cruel'' (1988). It was released in 1988, as the second single from the album. After recording sessions were completed, Brown and producer Gene ...

", between September 11 and the early hours of September 13, 2004. The music video for "Rumors" premiered on October 14, 2004, and October 20, 2004, through

Disney Channel Disney Channel is an American pay television television channel, channel that serves as the flagship (broadcasting), flagship property of Disney Branded Television, a unit of the Disney Entertainment business segment of the Walt Disney Company ...

and

Synopsis

In the beginning of the video, Lohan is followed by paparazzi as she is entering her car. It is revealed that this is a Lohan-look-alike and that the real Lohan is entering another car to go to a club. The car comes to a stop, and she then steps into an elevator and sings the first verse of the song, while she is filmed by a

CCTV Closed-circuit television (CCTV), also known as video surveillance, is the use of closed-circuit television cameras to transmit a signal to a specific place on a limited set of monitors. It differs from broadcast television in that the signa ...

camera in the elevator. The next sequence shows her running through a hallway, dressed up, before getting into the club. There, she dances in the crowd, where she takes a picture of one of the paparazzi herself to get back at him. In the next sequence, she is walking slowly through the club where she finds the man who seems to be her boyfriend. She takes a seat next to her lover and they begin kissing and touching each other, all the while being constantly filmed by cameras in the club. While Lohan sings the second chorus, she is trapped in a cage in the middle of the club and the whole crowd is watching her. After this, Lohan is shown dancing in the club with her friends. At the end of the music video, Lohan and her friends enter the top of a high-rise and perform a dance routine while helicopters are circling around them. Finally, Lohan gets into a helicopter and escapes. In the end, she throws her camera away with all the pictures taken of her.

Reception

The music video for "Rumors" received very positive reviews from critics and viewers which eventually led to the video reaching the top position on the countdown of ''

'' on the week of October 27, 2004, and was nominated on the category Best Pop Video during the 2005 MTV Video Music Awards.

Live performances

Lohan performed "Rumors" on ''

Good Morning America ''Good Morning America'', often abbreviated as ''GMA'', is an American breakfast television, morning television program that is broadcast on American Broadcasting Company, ABC. It debuted on November 3, 1975, and first expanded to weekends wit ...

'' in December 2004. According to a

MTV News MTV News was the news production division of MTV. The service was available in the US with localized versions on MTV's global network and an online news team. In 2016, MTV refreshed the MTV News brand to compete with the likes of BuzzFeed and ...

staff report, "Lohan missed the cue to mouth along, forcing cameras to cut away when her mouth remained closed as she was heard singing, thanks to a backing track." A representative for Lohan, however, revealed that Lohan actually sang it live, and noted that Lohan only used a background track "to help make the song sound like it does on her album." On December 31, 2004, Lohan performed "Rumors" at '' MTV's Iced Out New Year's Eve 2005''.

Legacy

Despite having only achieved moderate commercial success, "Rumors" has since become Lohan's most recognized song of her career and has received significant attention in the years following its release. In 2020, Billboard ranked the song as Lohan's best song of her career, noting that the defiant lyric, “I'm gonna do it my way / Take this for just what it is,” would "ultimately turn into Lohan’s mantra for years to come". "Rumors" was also used during the opening of the 2020 Balmain Spring Fashion Show, in which ''Paper'' magazine noted that the song was finally getting recognition. In January 2021, the song received significant social media attention after being used on the season 13 premiere of ''

RuPaul's Drag Race ''RuPaul's Drag Race'' is an American reality competition television series, the first in the Drag Race (franchise), ''Drag Race'' franchise, produced by World of Wonder (company), World of Wonder for Logo TV (season 1–8), WOW Presents Plus, ...

'' in a Lip Sync for Your Life between contestants Gottmik and Utica Queen, resulting in Lohan's name becoming a trending topic on

Twitter Twitter, officially known as X since 2023, is an American microblogging and social networking service. It is one of the world's largest social media platforms and one of the most-visited websites. Users can share short text messages, image ...

Track listing and formats

* CD single # "Rumors" – 3:16 # "Rumors" (Full Phatt Remix) – 3:25 * CD

maxi-single A maxi single, maxi-single, or maxi CD (sometimes abbreviated to MCD or CDM) is a music single release with more than the usual two tracks of an A-side song and a B-side song. Maxi singles are often mistaken for extended plays (EPs), especial ...

# "Rumors" – 3:16 # "Rumors" (Full Phatt Remix) – 3:25 # "Rumors" (Full Phatt Club Mix) – 3:49 # "Rumors" (video) – 3:25 * Digital EP # "Rumors" – 3:16 # "Rumors" (Full Phatt Remix) – 3:25 # "Rumors" (Full Phatt Club Mix) – 3:50

Credits and personnel

Credits are taken from ''Speak''

liner notes Liner notes (also sleeve notes or album notes) are the writings found on the sleeves of LP record albums and in booklets that come inserted into the compact disc jewel case or cassette j-cards. Origin Liner notes are descended from the prog ...

. Recording * Recorded at Poolhouse West and The Village at

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

. * Mixed at

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

, New York. Personnel *

Songwriting A songwriter is a person who creates musical compositions or writes lyrics for songs, or both. The writer of the music for a song can be called a composer, although this term tends to be used mainly in the classical music genre and film scoring. ...

: Cory Rooney,

, Taryll Jackson, T. J. Jackson * Production: Cory Rooney, Peter Wade Keusch * Recording: Peter Wade Keusch, Chris Avedon * Mixing: Peter Wade Keusch * Keyboards: Cory Rooney *

Guitar The guitar is a stringed musical instrument that is usually fretted (with Fretless guitar, some exceptions) and typically has six or Twelve-string guitar, twelve strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming ...

: Christopher J. Warner *

Background vocals A backing vocalist is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists. A backing vocalist may also sing alone as a lead-in to the main vocalist's entry or to sing a counter-melody. Backing vocalists are u ...

: Lindsay Lohan, Cory Rooney

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications and sales

Release history

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rumors (Song) 2004 debut singles Lindsay Lohan songs Music videos directed by Jake Nava Songs written by Cory Rooney Songs written by Lindsay Lohan Song recordings produced by Cory Rooney 2004 songs Songs about the media Song recordings produced by Peter Wade Keusch