Hope in a Darkened Heart

{{Short description|1986 studio album by Virginia Astley}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2018}}

{{Use British English|date=May 2018}}

{{Infobox album

| name = Hope in a Darkened Heart

| type = studio

| artist = Virginia Astley

| cover = Hope in a Darkened Heart.jpg

| alt =

| released = 24 November 1986

| recorded = August–September 1986

| studio = The Wool Hall
(Beckington, England)

| genre = Dream pop

| length = 38:41

| label = WEA

| producer =

• Jon Astley
• Richard J. Burgess
• Phil Chapman
• Ryuichi Sakamoto

| prev_title = Promise Nothing

| prev_year = 1983

| next_title = All Shall Be Well

| next_year = 1992

}}

Hope in a Darkened Heart is the second studio album by the English singer Virginia Astley, released on 24 November 1986 by WEA.{{cite magazine |title=New Albums |magazine=Music Week |date=22 November 1986 |page=44 |issn=0265-1548}} It was produced primarily by Japanese musician and composer Ryuichi Sakamoto. The album is noted for featuring former Japan singer David Sylvian on the track "Some Small Hope" and for an alternate version of "A Summer Long Since Passed", which was originally included on Astley's From Gardens Where We Feel Secure album. An additional track, "Le Song (A Day, a Night)", along with lyrics and a biography, is available on the Japanese issue.

The tracks "Some Small Hope" and "Charm" were released as singles but were not commercially successful. Two further tracks, "Love's a Lonely Place to Be" and "Darkness Has Reached Its End", had been issued some years before the album's release but likewise had no impact on the singles chart.

On December 25, 2020, Caroline Polachek and Lauren Auder released a cover version of "Some Small Hope" with all benefits going to a homelessness charity in Los Angeles.{{Cite web|url=https://carolinepolachek.bandcamp.com/track/some-small-hope|title = Some Small Hope, by Caroline Polachek & Lauren Auder}} Polachek described Astley's music as "one of my deep favorites... such an inspiration to me."Archived at [https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211208/QsqObMOwmtE Ghostarchive]{{cbignore}} and the [https://web.archive.org/web/20200423105211/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QsqObMOwmtE Wayback Machine]{{cbignore}}: {{cite AV media| url = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QsqObMOwmtE| title = Caroline Polachek – Full Performance (Live on KEXP) | via=YouTube}}{{cbignore}}