The White Stripes announced today that they have broken up as a recording and performing duo. In a rather esoteric announcment on the band’s website, the explains the cause of the split, “It is for a myriad of reasons but mostly to preserve what is beautiful and special about the band and have it stay that way.”

Which is nice and polite, if vague. But thinking back to the closing of 2009 tour documentary, Under Great White Northern Lights, there’s an incredibly moving scene where Jack performs a solo version of “White Moon” while Meg gently weeps by his side. The song is about relationships past, and given the pair’s own pre-White Stripes relationship, it’s hard not to assume that Meg never quite got over old Jacky, which made for a very interesting decade-plus of music, but she probably just had …