diff --git a/psrecord/main.py b/psrecord/main.py
index eb8385b..a4f07e2 100644
--- a/psrecord/main.py
+++ b/psrecord/main.py
@@ -30,6 +30,10 @@
 
 children = []
 
+# Characters that mean a command has to be run through a shell rather than
+# being split into arguments and executed directly
+SHELL_CHARS = "|&;<>()$`\\\"'*?[]{}~#\n"
+
 
 def get_percent(process):
     return process.cpu_percent()
@@ -102,17 +106,32 @@ def main():
 
     args = parser.parse_args()
 
+    include_children = args.include_children
+
     # Attach to process
     try:
         pid = int(args.process_id_or_command)
         print(f"Attaching to process {pid}")
         sprocess = None
     except Exception:
+        import shlex
         import subprocess
 
         command = args.process_id_or_command
         print(f"Starting up command '{command}' and attaching to process")
-        sprocess = subprocess.Popen(command, shell=True)
+        if sys.platform == "win32":
+            sprocess = subprocess.Popen(command)
+        elif any(char in command for char in SHELL_CHARS):
+            # Running the command through a shell means the monitored process
+            # is the shell itself, since modern shells no longer exec single
+            # commands in-place, so child processes have to be included for
+            # the statistics to be meaningful.
+            sprocess = subprocess.Popen(command, shell=True)
+            if not include_children:
+                print("Command requires a shell, including child processes in statistics")
+                include_children = True
+        else:
+            sprocess = subprocess.Popen(shlex.split(command))
         pid = sprocess.pid
 
     monitor(
@@ -121,7 +140,7 @@ def main():
         plot=args.plot,
         duration=args.duration,
         interval=args.interval,
-        include_children=args.include_children,
+        include_children=include_children,
         include_io=args.include_io,
         log_format=args.log_format,
     )
diff --git a/psrecord/tests/test_main.py b/psrecord/tests/test_main.py
index 9e0037d..8bf313b 100644
--- a/psrecord/tests/test_main.py
+++ b/psrecord/tests/test_main.py
@@ -72,7 +72,11 @@ def test_plot(self, tmpdir):
         assert os.path.exists(filename)
 
     def test_main(self):
-        sys.argv = ["psrecord", "--duration=3", "'sleep 10'"]
+        sys.argv = [
+            "psrecord",
+            "--duration=3",
+            f'"{sys.executable}" -c "import time; time.sleep(10)"',
+        ]
         main()
 
     def test_main_by_id(self):
@@ -82,3 +86,60 @@ def test_main_by_id(self):
     @pytest.mark.skipif(sys.platform == "darwin", reason="Functionality not supported on MacOS")
     def test_io(self, tmpdir):
         monitor(os.getpid(), duration=3, include_io=True)
+
+
+MEMORY_CODE = """
+x = [0] * 20_000_000
+import time
+time.sleep(10)
+"""
+
+
+def max_logged_memory(filename):
+    with open(filename) as f:
+        rows = [line.split() for line in f.readlines()[1:]]
+    return max(float(row[2]) for row in rows)
+
+
+@pytest.mark.skipif(sys.platform == "win32", reason="Test relies on POSIX commands")
+class TestLaunchedCommand:
+    # When psrecord launches the command itself, the logged statistics
+    # should be those of the command, not of an intermediate shell
+
+    def setup_method(self, method):
+        self.original_argv = sys.argv
+
+    def teardown_method(self, method):
+        sys.argv = self.original_argv
+
+    def test_simple_command(self, tmpdir):
+        script = tmpdir.join("memory.py").strpath
+        with open(script, "w") as f:
+            f.write(MEMORY_CODE)
+        logfile = tmpdir.join("log.txt").strpath
+        sys.argv = [
+            "psrecord",
+            f"{sys.executable} {script}",
+            "--log",
+            logfile,
+            "--duration=3",
+            "--interval=0.2",
+        ]
+        main()
+        assert max_logged_memory(logfile) > 100
+
+    def test_command_with_shell_syntax(self, tmpdir):
+        script = tmpdir.join("memory.py").strpath
+        with open(script, "w") as f:
+            f.write(MEMORY_CODE)
+        logfile = tmpdir.join("log.txt").strpath
+        sys.argv = [
+            "psrecord",
+            f"sleep 0 && {sys.executable} {script}",
+            "--log",
+            logfile,
+            "--duration=3",
+            "--interval=0.2",
+        ]
+        main()
+        assert max_logged_memory(logfile) > 100