It's very rare that I ever hear a cover of any song that after repeat listens I find better than the original.
Covers tend to be novelties, and the shininess of hearing the track with a different spin on it almost always wears off pretty quick.
I have to say that claiming Led Zeppelin ever did anything better than Robert Johnson or that the White Stripes ever did anything better than Son House just completely boggles my mind.
At any rate, here are three songs I can think of that I enjoy more than the originals:
'Head On' by the Pixies, originally performed by the Jesus and Mary Chain
'Sympathy' by Jane's Addiction, originally performed as 'Sympathy for the Devil' by the Rolling Stones (I know that's saying a lot, as the Stones version is fantastic and iconic, but Ferrel's haunting rendition of this song just beats it to the ground)
'Without You' by Harry Nilsson originally performed by Badfinger
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