 " 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 . " 
