Actually, the labels seem to confirm (with the Philips 1H/2H system) that AS I LOVE YOU was the b-side, and HANDS ACROSS THE SEA was intended as the a-side. It wasn't until some months after the record was released that the flip began getting plugs, and hence entered the charts on 19 December 1958, eventually rising to #1 on 20 February 1959, staying there for four weeks.