Is there a word in English for copy which is better than the original [closed]

I want to use that word to talk about the cover songs which are better than the original songs.

Edit: Thanks for the answers. However, I am specifically looking for a single word replacement for "a copy which is better than the original."

Solution 1:

For a noun, which seems to be what you are looking for, try improvement, e.g. "Of the three covers we heard tonight, only two were improvements on the original songs."

Solution 2:

surpass sur·pass /sərˈpas/
1. exceed; be greater than. be better than.

alternative synonyms: transcend; outdo; outshine; outclass; improve on; top; trump; better.

The cover outshines the original (etc.)

The following search: cover song "outshines the original" on Google produced a respectable 82,300 results. It is nowhere high a number as "be better than" (26,800,000 results) but the OP asked for a snappier one word expression, the term outshine is not only shorter but it is more striking and less cliché.

Solution 3:

To be better than something is to eclipse it, depriving it of significance:

Jill's cover of Nothing Else Matters eclipses the original.

Also see: best, trounce, upstage

Solution 4:

A useful word to describe this concept is supersede, though I would use it carefully when talking about music. Some songs do supersede the original version, Santana's, She's Not There, as at the time it was a very modern version compared to the original and is frequently regarded as his song , but certain purists would be horified at that notion.