Shuidiao Getou (traditional Chinese: 水調歌頭; simplified Chinese: 水调歌头; pinyin: Shuǐdiào Gētóu) is the name of a traditional Chinese melody to which a poem in the cí style can be sung. Different poets have written different lyrics to the melody which are usually prefixed by this melody's title, the Song dynasty poet Su Shi's work "Shuǐdiào Gētóu – Míngyuè Jǐshíyǒu " (水調歌頭·明月幾時有) being one of the most famous.
Cí (詞) is one of the literary genres that are unique to the Song dynasty, and can be sung to melody. Many ancient melodies are lost to history, but modern composers often compose new melodies for cí.
In 1983, Liang Hong Zhi (梁弘誌) set Su's poem to new music as the song "Danyuan ren changjiu" (但願人長久; translated "Wishing We Last Forever" or "Always Faithful"[1]). This new setting was recorded by Teresa Teng in her album dandan youqing (淡淡幽情), which also contained songs based on other poems from the Tang and Song dynasties. Later artists such as Faye Wong, Jacky Cheung and China Flowers (芳華十八) covered this song in albums and concerts.
In June 1956, Mao Zedong wrote the poem "Shuǐdiào Gētóu – Swimming" (水調歌頭·游泳) which is also rhymed to the tune of Shuǐdiào Gētóu.[2]
