call the tune

Cultural  

1. To be in control. The phrase comes from the proverb “The one who pays the piper calls the tune.”

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call the tune Idioms  

1. Make important decisions, exercise authority, as in Nancy said that it's her turn to call the tune. The full term is Who pays the piper calls the tune, meaning whoever bears the cost of an enterprise should have authority over it. [Late 1800s] Also see the synonym call the shots.

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Example Sentences

As the needle drops on a new era of digital music creation, the controversy in Sweden over Jacub suggests that for now at least it is human musicians not machines who still call the tune.

From BBC • Jan. 15, 2026

Braman, who implored the Times reporters, “I don’t consider myself a fat cat. Don’t make me out to be a fat cat,” has been able to call the tune for the 44-year-old Rubio.

From Salon • Jul. 30, 2015

This was not a meaningless encounter for Arsenal and they came to call the tune, with trademark quick interchanges and attractive movement.

From The Guardian • May 20, 2015

And, although some people, myself among them, will never be wholly persuaded that he who pays the piper doesn’t call the tune, the average voter doesn’t seem to judge candidates by their financial backers.

From The New Yorker • Feb. 13, 2015

But now someone else would call the tune.

From "Lyddie" by Katherine Paterson

Related Words

• attend
• control
• direct
• handle
• keep
• manage
• operate
• order
• organize
• oversee
• regulate
• run
• supervise