Rumor (song)

"Rumor"
Single by Lee Brice
from the album Lee Brice
Released	July 16, 2018 (2018-07-16)[1]
Genre	Country
Length	3:18 (album version) 3:32 (Glover mix)
Label	Curb
Songwriter(s)	Lee Brice Ashley Gorley Kyle Jacobs
Producer(s)	Lee Brice Dan Frizsell Kyle Jacobs Jon Stone
Lee Brice singles chronology
"Boy" (2017) "Rumor" (2018) "I Hope You're Happy Now" (2019)

"Rumor" is a song by American country music singer Lee Brice. It was written by Brice, along with Ashley Gorley and Kyle Jacobs. It was released to radio on July 16, 2018 as the second single from Brice's self-titled studio album. The song was also remixed by producer Bryan Todd.

Background

Brice wrote the song with Ashley Gorley and Kyle Jacobs. He said the song is a "natural throwback" to the small town he grew up in, where rumors travel quickly, be they true or false.^[2] The country song has been described as "blues-inflected ballad",^[3] and it is about a man and a woman who are so close together that people gossip about them, despite them not being in a relationship.^[4]

Commercial performance

The song was released for sale on September 4, 2018 followed by a video release. It first entered Billboard's Country Airplay at number 59 and Hot Country Songs at number 44 on charts dated September 15, 2018.^[5][6] In July 2019, it became Brice's fifth number one single on the Country Airplay chart, and his first since "I Don't Dance" in August 2014.^[7] It was the highest-charting song of his career, peaking at number 25 on the Billboard Hot 100, until it was surpassed by "One of Them Girls", which peaked at number 17 the following year. The song was certified five-times Platinum by the RIAA on August 22, 2023.^[8] It has sold 280,000 copies in the United States as of September 2019.^[9] It was nominated for single of the year at the 55th Academy of Country Music Awards.

Music video

The music video for the song was released on September 5, 2018.^[10] It was directed by Ryan "Spidy" Smith and shot in Nashville. The video features Brice's wife Sara who plays the main love interest in the video.^[11]

Was featured in the Hallmark movie, My One and Only in 2019.

Charts

Weekly charts Original version Chart (2018–2019) Peak position Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[12] 70 Canada Country (Billboard)[13] 11 US Billboard Hot 100[14] 25 US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)[15] 18 US Country Airplay (Billboard)[16] 1 US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[17] 2 US Rolling Stone Top 100[18] 33 Glover mix Chart (2020) Peak position US Country Airplay (Billboard)[16] 48

Year-end charts Chart (2019) Position US Billboard Hot 100[19] 81 US Country Airplay (Billboard)[20] 10 US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[21] 8 US Rolling Stone Top 100[22] 93

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[8]	6× Platinum	6,000,000^‡
^‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

1. "Add Dates" (PDF). Country Aircheck (607). June 25, 2018.
2. Houghton, Cillea (September 5, 2018). "Lee Brice Finds in the Soul in 'Rumor,' Self-Titled Album". Sounds Like Nashville.
3. Caramanica, Jon (September 7, 2018). "The Playlist: Thom Yorke's Chilling Ballad, and 13 More New Songs". The New York Times.
4. Carr, Courtney (June 15, 2018). "Hear Lee Brice's 'Rumor' and More New Country Singles". The Boot.
5. "Country Airplay". Billboard. September 15, 2018.
6. "Hot Country Songs". Billboard. September 15, 2018.
7. Asker, Jim (July 2, 2019). "Lee Brice's 'Rumor' Tops the Country Airplay Chart, Willie Nelson Takes a New 'Ride'". Billboard.
8. "American single certifications – Lee Brice – Rumor". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved October 10, 2024.
9. Bjorke, Matt (September 24, 2019). "Top 30 Digital Country Downloads: September 24, 2019". Roughstock. Retrieved September 26, 2019.
10. Sands, Nicole (September 5, 2018). "Lee Brice Takes Wife Sara Out for a 'Special Night' Together in His 'Rumor' Music Video". People.
11. Reuter, Annie (September 11, 2018). "Lee Brice's Romantic New Video for 'Rumor' Stars His Wife". Taste of Country.
12. "Lee Brice Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved July 16, 2019.
13. "Lee Brice Chart History (Canada Country)". Billboard. Retrieved January 14, 2020.
14. "Lee Brice Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved June 25, 2019.
15. "Lee Brice Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard. Retrieved October 1, 2019.
16. "Lee Brice Chart History (Country Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved July 1, 2019. Cite error: The named reference "sc_Billboardcountryairplay_Lee Brice" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
17. "Lee Brice Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved July 1, 2019.
18. "Top 100 Songs". Rolling Stone. June 21, 2019. Retrieved January 8, 2020.
19. "Hot 100 Songs – Year-End 2019". Billboard. Retrieved December 6, 2019.
20. "Country Airplay – Year-End 2019". Billboard. Retrieved December 6, 2019.
21. "Hot Country Songs – Year-End 2019". Billboard. Retrieved December 6, 2019.
22. "Top 100 Songs of 2019". Rolling Stone. January 10, 2020. Retrieved February 16, 2020.