 " Call the Shots " is a dance @-@ pop and pop rock track written in the key of D major and with a moderate tempo of 126 beats per minute . Unlike previous singles released by the band , the song follows the verse – chorus form . The lyrics are concerned with the ending of a relationship , and opens with a repetitive melody followed by Coyle singing , " Static tone on the phone , I 'll be breaking again / Must be something better babe " . As the chorus begins , the five members of the group trade lines and sing , " Just ' cause you 're raising the bet and call the shots now on me / It really doesn 't faze me how you spend your time " , with Alexis Petridis of The Guardian stating that " only anterograde amnesia could wipe [ this part ] from your brain " . During the middle @-@ eight , Roberts sings lyrics that were the inspiration for Girls Aloud 's autobiography Dreams that Glitter – Our Story , released in 2008 : " I 've seen life burn bright , seen it shimmer / Then fade like starlight to a glimmer , oh no / I 've seen life flow by like a river / So full of twilight , dreams that glitter " . Alex Fletcher of Digital Spy said that the instrumentation of " Call the Shots " was based on 1990s dance productions , and added that it incorporated " oohs " and " ah ah ahs " that " reverberate around an infectious chorus , " while John Lucas of Allmusic wrote that the song showcased a more mature side from Girls Aloud . 
