How A Child S Scribbles Inspired Aris Ariwatan S Song 30 Years Ago

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Aris Ariwatan reveals the secret behind ‘1,2,3,4’, a classic loved to this day.
PETALING JAYA: “Satu, kasih nan abadi, tiada tandingi Dia yang satu. Dua, sayang berpanjangan, membawa ke syurga, kasihnya ibu.” (“One, eternal love, unmatched – He is the one. Two, deep affection, leading to heaven – a mother’s love.”)

These are the opening lyrics of “1,2,3,4”, a song honouring parents and their enduring love for their children. It was written and composed by singer-songwriter Aris Ariwatan 30 years ago.
Speaking with FMT, Aris – real name Haris Fadzilah Daud – revealed the unusual way in which this classic, co-written with Asmin Mudin, came to be.
The “Lamunan Terhenti” singer shared that he and Asmin had not even settled on a title for a song when they were suddenly offered a recording slot at King Studio, Petaling Jaya.

According to Aris, securing a recording session at the prestigious studio – often booked by major record labels – usually took months.
“The King Studio sound engineer told me there was an open slot at 9pm. I immediately grabbed it. Then I realised we didn’t even have a song. No title, no lyrics.
“We had just six hours before the recording, and I panicked. I remember my son started doodling on my work papers, and I got upset with him and my wife for letting him do it.
“I looked at the scribbles, and I saw the numbers 1,2,3,4. I was hit with inspiration. And just like that, the song was completed. I then apologised to my son for getting mad at him earlier,” said the father of six.
Aris was confident the song would resonate with listeners: it spoke of family values, offered heartfelt advice, and was easy to sing along to. However, his record label thought otherwise.
“At the time, song titles were grand, dramatic – like ‘Suci Dalam Debu’ and ‘Fatamorgana’. But my song was just ‘1,2,3,4’. The label wanted me to change it, but I refused,” said Aris, now president of the Malaysian Music Creators, Performers & Producers Association.
Aris said the song was deeply sentimental to him as it was about his parents, and their many sacrifices in raising him.
“True story – we were poor. My father was a police officer earning RM110 a month. Every day before school, my mother would apply coconut oil to my hair and comb it for me. As she combed, she would tell me to behave in school. By noon, the oil would be dripping down the sides of my forehead.
“That’s where the lyrics come from: ‘Ibu, ku ingat dahulu menyisir rambutku, kemas selalu’ (‘Mother, I remember those days, you combing my hair, always neat’),” he shared, hoping his younger listeners, too, would appreciate the meaning of the song.
Meor Hafiz Meor Abdul Rashid sang the opening lines to the song ‘1,2,3,4’ when he was just eight years old.For the first time ever, Aris revealed the identity of the child who sings the opening lines of the song – Meor Hafiz Meor Abdul Rashid, now 41 years old.
Aris said he picked Hafiz, the younger brother of ’90s singer Wann (known for Bossanova), literally hours before the recording session.
“I met Hafiz for the first time that night. He hadn’t heard the song before. We even had to place a box for him to stand on because the microphone stand couldn’t be lowered any further,” Aris recalled.
“Wearing a headset, he listened to the song I had recorded earlier, and he followed what I was singing, and we recorded it immediately.”
Speaking with FMT, Hafiz said it was surreal that the song he recorded when he was only eight years old is still played on the radio today.
“I was only there to accompany my sister (Wann) for her recording session when my mother noticed a group of children auditioning next door. Alhamdulillah, I was chosen. Uncle Aris said the recording session went well,” he said.
After this song became popular, the young Hafiz received many invitations to sing. Today, he is still busking, raising funds to build a religious school in Kajang.
“Sometimes, words alone cannot make people change their ways. But music can,” Hafiz said, expressing his gratitude to Aris for the opportunity to sing all those years ago. - FMT

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