Porch Light

"Porch Light"
Single by Noah Kahan
from the album The Great Divide
ReleasedMarch 13, 2026
GenreFolk-pop
Length4:22
LabelMercury
Songwriters
Producers
  • Kahan
  • Dessner
  • Gabe Simon
Noah Kahan singles chronology
"The Great Divide"
(2026)		 "Porch Light"
(2026)		 "Doors"
(2026)

"Porch Light" is a song by American singer-songwriter Noah Kahan, released on March 13, 2026, as the second single from his fourth studio album, The Great Divide. Kahan wrote the song with Aaron Dessner, and produced it with Dessner and Gabe Simon of Kopecky.

Background

According to Kahan, the song was inspired by the emotional weight that he felt he had placed on his family through opening up their lives on his previous album, Stick Season. He first previewed the song on the video-sharing app TikTok and then began performing it at concerts, debuting it live at the Out of the Blue Festival Pool Party in Cancún, Mexico in January 2025.

Composition

The song contains a banjo-driven instrumental, over which Kahan sings from his mother's perspective. The narrative depicts her as resenting that Kahan has not returned to her since he achieved fame and refusing to forgive him. Despite her grudge, she confesses that she is lonely and simply misses him. She hopes for her son to return, with the chorus conveying the emotional impact of his absence.

Charts

Chart performance for "Porch Light"
Chart (2026) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA) 27
Canada Hot 100 (Billboard)10
Global 200 (Billboard)31
Ireland (IRMA)8
Latvia Airplay (TopHit)91
Netherlands (Single Top 100)83
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ) 21
South Africa Streaming (TOSAC) 100
Sweden Heatseeker (Sverigetopplistan) 2
UK Singles (Official Charts)19
US Billboard Hot 10020
US Hot Rock & Alternative Songs (Billboard)4

Certifications

x

Certifications for "Porch Light"
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada) Platinum 80,000‡
New Zealand (RMNZ) Gold 15,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. 1 2 Zemler, Emily (March 13, 2026). "Noah Kahan Considers the Weight of Fame on Reflective Single 'Porch Light'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved March 24, 2026.
  2. 1 2 3 Mower, Maxim (March 13, 2026). "'Porch Light' by Noah Kahan - Lyrics & Meaning". Holler. Retrieved March 24, 2026.
  3. ↑ Mower, Maxim (January 7, 2025). "Noah Kahan Covers Kendrick Lamar and Performs Three Unreleased Songs, 'Pain Eater', 'Doors' and 'Porch Light' in Mexico". Holler. Retrieved March 24, 2026.
  4. 1 2 Kaye, Ben (March 13, 2026). "Noah Kahan Considers His Fame on New Single "Porch Light": Stream". Consequence. Retrieved March 24, 2026.
  5. ↑ "ARIA Top 50 Singles Chart". Australian Recording Industry Association. May 4, 2026. Retrieved May 1, 2026.
  6. ↑ "Noah Kahan Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved March 24, 2026.
  7. ↑ "Noah Kahan Chart History (Global 200)". Billboard. Retrieved March 24, 2026.
  8. ↑ "Official Irish Singles Chart on 26/3/2026 – Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved March 24, 2026.
  9. ↑ "Top Radio Hits Latvia Weekly Chart". TopHit. Retrieved April 26, 2026.
  10. ↑ "Noah Kahan – Porch Light" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved March 24, 2026.
  11. ↑ "Official Top 40 Singles". Recorded Music NZ. May 1, 2026. Retrieved May 1, 2026.
  12. ↑ "Local and International Streaming Chart Top 20 Week 12 – 2026 (New Releases)". The Official South African Charts. Archived from the original on February 6, 2026. Retrieved March 29, 2026.
  13. ↑ "Veckolista Heatseeker, vecka 12, 2026". Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved March 24, 2026.
  14. ↑ "Official Singles Chart on 26/3/2026 – Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved March 24, 2026.
  15. ↑ "Noah Kahan Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved March 24, 2026.
  16. ↑ "Noah Kahan Chart History (Hot Rock & Alternative Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved March 24, 2026.
  17. ↑ "Canadian single certifications – Noah Kahan – Porch Light". Music Canada. Retrieved June 22, 2026.
  18. ↑ "New Zealand single certifications – Noah Kahan – Porch Light". Radioscope. Retrieved October 2, 2026. Type Porch Light in the "Search:" field and press Enter.