Rumors (Lindsay Lohan song)

Background and composition

"Rumors" was originally titled "Just What It Is". The track was written by Lohan, Cory Rooney, Taryll Jackson, and TJ 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 the Poolhouse West and The Village Recorder in Los Angeles, California. Audio mixing was done by Keusch at Sony Music Studios in New York, New York. Christopher J. Warner provided the guitar present in the song's composition. It was released as a single on September 21, 2004, through Casablanca Records. "Rumors" is in the style of contemporary R&B. Lyrically, the song was written as a response to the paparazzi 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 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 noted that the singer's vocals are "driven by snarls, breathy croons, and emotionally restrained angst," while John Murphy of musicOMH considered it "a feisty dance anthem with intelligent lyrics attacking the paparazzi and press in general."

Critical response

"Rumors" received generally mixed reviews from music critics, 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 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 spectularly unspectacular level." Entertainment Weekly contributor Nicholas Fonseca, however, considered "Rumors" a guilty pleasure, while Stephen Thomas Erlewine of Allmusic 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 genre.

Chart performance

"Rumors" achieved moderate commercial success worldwide. In the United States, the song peaked at number six on Billboard's Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles, and reached number 23 on the Pop Songs component chart. However, it was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) in February 2005 for shipping over 500,000 copies of the single. In Australia, "Rumors" debuted at number 19 on the ARIA charts, peaking at number 10 six weeks later, while being certified Gold by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). The song also attained top thirty positions in Austria and Switzerland, and reached the top forty in Netherlands and Sweden. In Germany, the song debuted and peaked at number 14.

Music video

Casablanca Records commissioned a music video to be directed by Jake Nava, who previously worked in the same year with Britney Spears on her music video for "My Prerogative" (2004). The music video for "Rumors" premiered on October 14, 2004 and October 20, 2004 through Disney Channel and MTV. In the beginning of the video, Lohan is followed by paparazzi as she is entering her car. It is revealed that this is a Lindsay-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 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.

Critical response

The music video for "Rumors" received very positive reviews from critics and viewers which eventually lead to the video reaching the top position on the countdown of Total Request Live in the week of October 27, 2004, and was nominated on the category Best Pop Video during the 2005 MTV Video Music Awards.

Live performance

Lohan performed "Rumors" on Good Morning America on December 2004. According to a MTV News 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 the singer 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."

Credits and personnel

Credits are taken from Speak liner notes.