GETTING TO THE ROOT OF `TOOT-TOOT` (WITH A WORD FROM SIDNEY TO

Country music`s novelty hit of the year, ”My Toot-Toot,” doubtless owes much of its popularity to the obvious question: What is a toot-toot?Writer-singer Rockin` Sidney Simien laughs in answer.”That`s the thing about the song,” he says. ”I get calls from all over, and now even people who know what a toot-toot is aren`t sure what it is anymore. Because it can be anything you want it to be.”Some people think when you say `toot-toot` you`re talking about the body. And some people are saying it`s cocaine, drugs. The latest thing I heard was it`s some kind of a skirt.”The original subject of the song–which, in addition to Simien, has been recorded by 13 other performers including the Pointer Sisters, John Fogerty and soul singer Jean Knight–was none of the above.In French-influenced Cajun Louisiana, where the 47-year-old Simien lives, ”toot” is a corruption of the Gallic word ”tout,” meaning ”all.””From the old Cajun (language), a toot-toot is something special, maybe your best girlfriend,...