When You Touch Me

Taana Gardner recorded When You Touch Me for her 1979 West End Records debut album with producer and songwriter Kenton Nix. Larry Levan's 1979 mixes and Nix's extended versions shaped the long-form club presentation of the record. When You Touch Me was issued by West End in 1979 as both a 12-inch single and part of Gardner's debut album. It reached number 10 on Billboard's dance chart and helped establish her before the later crossover success of Heartbeat. The track remained a core West End Records title through reissues, DJ play, and the 2024 expanded collection When You Touch Me: The West End Recordings. Its extended vocal groove preserved the late-1970s New York club sound that connected Gardner with Larry Levan's dance-floor audience.