“When You Walk in the Room” is a song written and recorded by American singer-songwriter Jackie DeShannon. It was initially released as a single on November 23, 1963, as the B-side to “Till You Say You’ll Be Mine”. It was re-released as an A-side in September 1964, and later included on the album Breakin’ It Up on the Beatles Tour!. The single charted on the US Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number 99. The song’s lyrics attempt to detail the singer’s emotions when in the presence of the person he or she loves. There is also an expression of frustration by the singer that he or she cannot manage to tell that person of his or her love. The song was produced using the “Wall of Sound” method of Phil Spector.
The song has been covered by many other artists. British rock band The Searchers had a hit song in early 1964 with “Needles and Pins,” previously recorded by Jackie DeShannon, and they then recorded this, another song previously recorded by DeShannon. Their version reached No. 35 in the US and No. 3 in the UK. The group also recorded a German version titled “Wenn ich dich seh”.
Australian rock band The Sports released a version of the song as the second single from their debut studio album, Reckless. It reached No. 42 on the Australian Kent Music Report chart. The American country music artist Stephanie Winslow recorded a version of the song, reaching No. 29 on the US country singles chart. British singer Paul Carrack’s version, from his 1987 album One Good Reason, reached No. 90 in the US and No. 48 in the UK. It was also a Top Ten hit in Australia, peaking at No. 7
In 1994, American country music artist Pam Tillis recorded a version for her album Sweetheart’s Dance. It was released as a single, peaking at No. 2 on the US Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart. It was accompanied by a music video, which was directed by Steven Goldmann in his second video with Tillis, it features Dick Clark and depicts Tillis in a mid-1960s appearance on American Bandstand.
The song was covered by the British rock band Status Quo for their 1996 studio album of cover versions and twenty-second studio album overall, Don’t Stop, released as the album’s lead single in October 1995. The song was a minor hit, reaching Number 34 in their native UK the following month. This version also appears on the band’s 1997 two-disc greatest hits compilation album Whatever You Want – The Very Best of Status Quo.
