21, AllMusic'''s Matt Collar concluded that "Rumour Has It" and "He Won't Go" are "terrifically catchy, booty-shaking numbers, and exactly the kind of songs you want and expect from Adele." Noel Murray of The A.V. Club wrote that the song was "overpowering", while Leah Greenblatt of Entertainment Weekly praised Adele's voice comparing it with The Shangri-Las. Chris Parkin of NME called it "a swamp song so perfectly shadowy David Lynch might be fond of it." Jon Caramanica of The New York Times found "hollow counterpoint vocals, and a daringly morbid bridge that jerks away from the song's rhythm, before once again acceding to it." Matthew Cole of Slant Magazine concluded that when Adele sings an adventurous arrangement like the "spooky Tin Pan Alley blues" on "Rumour Has It", she "sounds every bit the phenomenon the press has made her out to be." Joanne Dorken of MTV UK said that the song is a "bluesy/soul anthem [which] shows a more sassy side to Adele. With its banging drums, infectious beats and cheeky lyrics, you can't help but tap your feet to this up-tempo number from Miss Adkins." PopMatters Jer Fairall called "Rumour Has It" a "booming John Barry homage." The writers of Rolling Stone placed the song at number 29 on their list of "50 Best Singles of 2011". A writer of URB compared Adele's voice with a "'[19]40s, piano-vixen lounge singer." John Murphy of musicOMH wrote that "Rumour Has It has more sass, a brilliant blues/soul anthem with more fantastic drumming and a cute lyrical twist at the end." While reviewing 21, Gary McGinley of No Ripcord called the song a "potential single" from the album, while Ian Wade of BBC Online called it a "literally banging" song. Jim Farber of Daily News wrote that Adele "mined a bayou stomp" the catchy "Rumour Has It." Allison Stewart of The Washington Post wrote that "'Rumour Has It' is set in a fictional universe where Dusty Springfield fronts the Ronettes." Sputnikmusic's Joseph Viney chose the song as the best on the album, praising its "pounding drums, sweet vocal harmonies and a tale of love both won and lost with some alacrity." In 2021, Parade ranked the song number eight on their list of the 25 greatest Adele songs, and in 2022, American Songwriter ranked the song number five on their list of the 10 greatest Adele songs. Chart performance "Rumour Has It"